1. |
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A Nordic Perspective on Co‐Operation for Sustainable Destination and Regional Development
- 2015
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Samlingsverk (redaktörskap) (refereegranskat)abstract
- This research report contributes to a Nordic perspective on co-operation for sustainable destination- and regional development based on studies conducted within a Swedish-Danish Interreg project 2012-2014 (MARIFUS). An introduction chapter with major themes initiates this report followed by five chapters1 written by researchers from Aalborg University, Denmark (Incevida) and University West, Sweden (School of Business, Economics and IT). The purpose of this report is to give deeper nsights in Nordic destination and regional development by empirical case studies. These studies have been presented and discussed at seminars during international scientific conferences within regional science (the 16th Uddevalla Symposium 2013 in Kansas City, USA and the 17th Uddevalla Symposium 2014 in Uddevalla, Sweden) organized by University West. The contributions are nterdisciplinary in that sense that they are written by scholars from different scientific disciplines such as business administration, informatics, planning and culture studies. However, all scholars have a destination and/or regional perspective as a point of departure in the case studies conducted. The three-year project offered great opportunities to cross-border learning and applied research in close co-operation (Work integrated learning) with project partners and students.The studies are partly supported by the project MARIFUS “Maritime Inlands – past, present and future strengths” financed by the European Union Regional Development Fund (Interreg IV A). The editors express sincere gratitude to all authors and all partners of the MARIFUS project.
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2. |
- Arvemo, Tobias, 1970-, et al.
(författare)
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Att utveckla Lysekils centrum tillsammans : utmaningar och möjligheter
- 2018
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Denna studie designades och analyserades av Högskolan Väst 2016-2017. Undersökningen kompletterar den besökar- och boendestudie som Högskolan Väst tidigare genomförde inom projektet i Lysekil under sensommaren 2016 (se Högskolan Väst Rapport 2 Urban Platsinnovation Besökar- och boendestudie i Lysekil sensommaren 2017). Denna studie genomfördes under tiden 26 maj - 11 augusti 2017 med 363 svarande respondenter, varav 165 var besökare och 198 permanent boende i Lysekil. Syftet med studien var att öka kunskapen om både besökares och boendes uppfattningar om Lysekil. Högskolan Väst har även genomfört en intervjustudie med centrumaktörer i Lysekil under 2017 (se Högskolan Väst Rapport 4 Urban Platsinnovation Att utveckla Lysekils centrum tillsammans - utmaningar och möjligheter). Studierna1 avser även att bidra gränsöverskridande inspiration samt vara ett underlag för planering och utveckling av kommande centrumutvecklande aktiviteter såväl inom som utanför projektets regi.Undersökningen visar att besökare framför allt kommer till Lysekil för att koppla av och är nöjda med sitt besök i Lysekil samt med service och utbud, stadsmiljö och faciliteter. En stor majoritet av besökarna har besökt Lysekil innan och anger att de kommer att besöka Lysekil igen. Av de besökare är det 88% som sannolikt kommer rekommendera andra ett besök i Lysekil. Ungefär hälften av besökarna bor mer än 10 mil från Lysekil.De permanent boende i Lysekil är också nöjda med utbudet av restauranger, kvalitén på både maten och servicen. De boende var också nöjda med servicen i butikerna men ställde sig neutrala till utbudet av butiker. Det största missnöjet bland de permanent boende i Lysekil finns kring parkeringssituationen.Studien är i stort samstämmig med den besökar- och boendeundersökning som genomfördes 2016.Ett stort antal förbättringsförslag ges av respondenterna och finns redovisade i rapporten. Dessa förslag är allt från konkreta till visionära.Det är vår rekommendation att denna rapport ihop med rapporten från undersökningen 2016 (se Högskolan Västs Rapport 2) delges och diskuteras med de aktörer och nätverk som finns i Lysekil i arbetet i att ta fram nya centrumutvecklande aktiviteter.
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3. |
- Arvemo, Tobias, 1970-, et al.
(författare)
-
Besökar- och boendestudie i Lysekil sensommaren 2016
- 2016
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- En studie av besökare och boende i Lysekil genomfördes med 279 svarande respondenter under tiden 26 juli - 14 september 2016. Syftet med studien var att öka kunskapen om både boendes och besökandes uppfattningar om Lysekil.Studien syftar även till att ge ett bidrag till ett större underlag för och gränsöverskridande inspiration till planering och utveckling av kommande centrumutvecklande aktiviteter såväl inom som utanför projektets regi.151 besökande och 128 permanent boende besvarade undersökningen.Undersökningen visar att de besökande framför allt kommer till Lysekil för att koppla av och är nöjda med sitt besök i Lysekil samt med service och utbud, stadsmiljö och faciliteter. En stor majoritet av besökarna har besökt Lysekil innan och anger att man kommer att besöka Lysekil igen. Av de besökande är det 97% som sannolikt kommer rekommendera andra ett besök i Lysekil. Ungefär hälften av de besökande bor mer än 10 mil från Lysekil.Bland de permanent boende i Lysekil är man också nöjd med utbudet av restauranger, kvalitén på restaurangmaten samt service på restaurang och i butik. Man är också nöjd med stadsmiljön, skyltning/vägvisning, hur lätt det är att ta sig till Lysekil, faciliteter och kvalitén på boende. En majoritet av de tillfrågade är missnöjda med parkeringssituationen i Lysekil. Utbudet av butiker och uteliv har mer utspridda svar.Samtliga respondenter fick tillfälle att ge förslag på vad som kan förbättras i Lysekils centrum. Av 279 respondenter gav 123 besökande och 114 boende i Lysekil förbättringsförslag. Förslagen, som är både konkreta och visionära, rör huvudsakligen följande sju teman; Trivsel och intryck av stadsmiljön, Infrastruktur, parkering mm, Husbilsparkering/ställplatser, Information och Skyltning, Aktiviteter/evenemang, Utbud och Övrigt.Vår rekommendation är att, de nätverk och aktörer som är anslutna till projektet i Lysekil, tar del av och diskuterar studiens resultat inför framtida centrumutvecklande aktiviteter. Vi rekommenderar även att man åtgärdar de förbättringsförslag som går att genomföra på kort sikt och redan nu diskuterar de mer långsiktiga och eventuellt resurstunga förbättringsförslag.
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4. |
- Arvemo, Tobias, 1970-, et al.
(författare)
-
Besökar- och boendestudie i Lysekil sommaren 2017
- 2018
-
Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Denna studie designades och analyserades av Högskolan Väst 2016-2017. Undersökningen kompletterar den besökar- och boendestudie som Högskolan Väst tidigare genomförde inom projektet i Lysekil under sensommaren 2016 (se Högskolan Väst Rapport 2 Urban Platsinnovation Besökar- och boendestudie i Lysekil sensommaren 2017). Denna studie genomfördes under tiden 26 maj - 11 augusti 2017 med 363 svarande respondenter, varav 165 var besökare och 198 permanent boende i Lysekil. Syftet med studien var att öka kunskapen om både besökares och boendes uppfattningar om Lysekil. Högskolan Väst har även genomfört en intervjustudie med centrumaktörer i Lysekil under 2017 (se Högskolan Väst Rapport 4 Urban Platsinnovation Att utveckla Lysekils centrum tillsammans - utmaningar och möjligheter). Studierna1 avser även att bidra gränsöverskridande inspiration samt vara ett underlag för planering och utveckling av kommande centrumutvecklande aktiviteter såväl inom som utanför projektets regi. Undersökningen visar att besökare framför allt kommer till Lysekil för att koppla av och är nöjda med sitt besök i Lysekil samt med service och utbud, stadsmiljö och faciliteter. En stor majoritet av besökarna har besökt Lysekil innan och anger att de kommer att besöka Lysekil igen. Av de besökare är det 88% som sannolikt kommer rekommendera andra ett besök i Lysekil. Ungefär hälften av besökarna bor mer än 10 mil från Lysekil. De permanent boende i Lysekil är också nöjda med utbudet av restauranger, kvalitén på både maten och servicen. De boende var också nöjda med servicen i butikerna men ställde sig neutrala till utbudet av butiker. Det största missnöjet bland de permanent boende i Lysekil finns kring parkeringssituationen. Studien är i stort samstämmig med den besökar- och boendeundersökning som genomfördes 2016. Ett stort antal förbättringsförslag ges av respondenterna och finns redovisade i rapporten. Dessa förslag är allt från konkreta till visionära. Det är vår rekommendation att denna rapport ihop med rapporten från undersökningen 2016 (se Högskolan Västs Rapport 2) delges och diskuteras med de aktörer och nätverk som finns i Lysekil i arbetet i att ta fram nya centrumutvecklande aktiviteter
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5. |
- Arvemo, Tobias, 1970-, et al.
(författare)
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En gränsöverskridande workshop om : Hvordan kan vi bruke undersøkelser til å skape et bedre sentrum?
- 2016
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- En gränsöverskridande workshop om Hvordan kan vi bruke undersøkelser til å skape et bedre sentrum? genomfördes den 27 oktober 2016 i Fredrikstad under stormöte 2 i projektet Urban Platsinnovation. Syftet med workshopen var att näringsidkare och kommuner i Sverige och Norge ska knyta kontakter och utbyta erfarenheter. Under workshopen diskuterade de 62 deltagarna undersökningar som beslutsunderlag samt deltagande och samverkan för utveckling av centrum. I anslutning till workshopen redogjordes för tre i projektet genomförda studier. Workshopens genomförande och dokumentation syftar till att ge ett underlag och gränsöverskridande inspiration till planering och utveckling av kommande centrumutvecklande aktiviteter såväl inom som utanför projektets regi.Workshopsdeltagarna får idag information om kunder, besökare och medborgare genom olika spridda kanaler; via kartläggningar, handelsutredningar, nationella näringslivstudier, egna undersökningar via sociala medier, webbstatistik, kommunens kundtjänst, medborgarkontor, medborgardialoger (brukermedvirkning), samtal och personlig kontakt, sociala möten och nätverk, cafédialoger/dialog med organisationer, företag och föreningar, mässor och genom nyheter i dagstidning (avis). Samtliga deltagare menar att studier av det slag som presenterades vid workshopen är mycket viktiga. Presenterade studier är intressanta då de visar på fakta och statistik – vilket inte alltid stämmer med vad man tror eller hört. Faktaunderlag är viktigt för att kunna arbeta framåt. Kritisk och djupare analys, koordinering, samordning och bättre kommunikation kring studier och resultat behövs. Deltagarna framhåller vikten av att dels ha tillgång till ett kvantitativt datamaterial i form av besöksdata som kan kopplas till annan data såsom omsättning, dels till ett kvalitativt material som fokuserar på vem besökaren är, orsaker till besök samt vilka önskemål besökare men även boende har.Det råder en stark vilja till samverkan mellan de olika aktörerna för centrumutvecklingen. I vissa fall och i vissa kommuner fungerar samverkan riktigt bra mellan framför allt kommun och butiksägare. Dock inses vikten av en bredare representativitet i grupperingar för centrumutvecklingen. Nya aktörer välkomnas samt tydliga strategier och roller. Viljan att engagera sig och delta finns, och många ser möjligheten att genom detta projekt få till en hel del bra grundarbete. Bra exempel ges på kanaler och plattformar för informationsspridning och kommunikation och deltagarna ser gärna en fortsatt utveckling av dessa för samverkan och koordinering av olika aktiviteter.
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6. |
- Arvemo, Tobias, 1970-, et al.
(författare)
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Lessons Learned From A Cross-Sector Development Project : An Integrative Research Approach
- 2018
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Ingår i: INTED 2018. - : IATED. - 9788469794807 ; , s. 3914-3922
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper draws on the experiences of work-integrated learning from a Swedish-Norwegian cross-sector research project where actors from university, industry, government and volunteer sector collaborate on city center development. The empirical setting of the present study consists of six smaller cities in rural municipalities with limited resources and experiences of collaboration with higher education institutions. The following research question is addressed: How can research and development projects serve as a vehicle for facilitating mutual knowledge exchange between academia and society in cross-sector and rural collaboration contexts? The aim is hence to suggest a tentative collaboration model that identify and integrate knowledge flows between actors involved in cross-sector collaborations in such setting. To gain deep insights in the complex dynamics of project collaboration we applied a mixed methods approach including surveys, structured, in-depth qualitative interviews, observations, workshops and student projects. The data collection was performed during 2016-2017. Findings indicate that trust, continuity, and relationship building are the basis vital for successful creation, development and maintenance of knowledge flows. Furthermore, there is a need to develop an integrative tool box with different methodological tools, work practices and strategies to plan, perform, compile to leverage the knowledge flows and coproduce sustainable results. Our tentative model aims to illustrate conceptualize lessons learned on work-integrated learning and collaboration with academia. We discuss how the model may support co-creative and mutual results over time.
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7. |
- Arvemo, Tobias, 1970-, et al.
(författare)
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Samverkan och utveckling i Gamlebyen
- 2017
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Högskolan Västs Rapport 3 - Samverkan och utveckling i Gamlebyen består av en studie av Gamlebyen Fredrikstads kommune, Norge. Denna studie baseras på 18 djupintervjuer med 21 aktörer i och kring Gamlebyen, Fredrikstads kommune, som genomfördes perioden november 2016 - februari 2017 samt en webb-enkät med 22 elever (blivande hantverkare) vid Plus-skolen i Gamlebyen i mars 2017. Syfte med studien var att fånga aktörernas uppfattning om Gamlebyens attraktivitet, vision, nuläge och utmaningar i samverkan. Syftet var även att ge förslag för samarbete och styrning som potential för framtida näringsutveckling och engagemang. Vidare syftar studien långsiktigt till ge ett underlag och gränsöverskridande inspiration för planering och utveckling av kommande centrumutvecklande aktiviteter såväl inom som utanför projektets regi.Studien visar på den mångfald av aktörer som verkar i Gamlebyen och den brist på samarbete och kommunikation som denna mångfald ger upphov till. Området saknar en gemensam vision om Gamlebyen skall utvecklas och bevaras. Sammantaget gör detta att Gamlebyen hämmas i sin utveckling och inte får den attraktionskraft som området har potential för. Många aktörer känner att kommunens satsningar på andra områden i Fredrikstad har haft ett negativt inflytande på området.För att Gamlebyen skall kunna nå sin potential behövs en samordnande roll av typen centrumutvecklare som koordinerar dels internt i Gamlebyen men även verkar in mot kommun och centrum för ökad samordning. En gemensam intern kommunikationsplattform för aktörerna i Gamlebyen är av stor vikt för att öka kommunikationen i området och samordna aktuell och korrekt information.
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8. |
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9. |
- Bernhard, Iréne, 1953-, et al.
(författare)
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A digital society for all? : Meanings, practices and policies for digital diversity
- 2019
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the 52nd Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, 2019. - Honolulu, HI, USA : University of Hawaii at Mānoa. - 9780998133126 ; , s. 3067-3076
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The concept of digital divides has been on the agenda in research and policy making for at least the last 20 years. But it is still, a challenge to grasp this concept that is so elusive and transforming. Inclusion, access and equality are still key values for democratic governance and must be addressed in particular when forming and contributing to a digital government. This paper seeks to intervene in current debates on digital divides and digital inclusion by analyzing two cases of responses among street-level public administration in relation to e-government services in Sweden. The case studies are strategically chosen and conducted in national agencies and in local public libraries. Three lines of contributions are discussed, firstly thei mportance to care for equality secondly the need to seethe non-users, and thirdly to discuss the potential of putting focus on digital diversity.
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10. |
- Bernhard, Irene, 1953-, et al.
(författare)
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A Study of Small Enterprises with Focus on Entrepreneurship and E-government in a Regional Development Context
- 2015
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Ingår i: A Nordic Perspective on Co‐Operation for Sustainable Destination and Regional Development. - Trollhättan : University West. ; , s. 59-75
-
Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This chapter aims to describe and analyze a sample of small enterprises located in a region undergoing structural change with focus on entrepreneurship and e-government and is a further development of a previous study that focused on how municipalities supported entrepreneurship and destination development. In this study the focus is extended to include small enterprises contributing to development of tourist destinations within the same region. In-depth qualitative interviews weremade with twelve managers from ten small enterprises. Based on a theoretical discussion of entrepreneurship, e-government and regional development, the results indicate that networks and strategic networking were important for these small enterprises both in terms of developing the enterprise butalso to develop entrepreneurship for regional development. The findings further indicate that municipal information, communication and competence development in order to support entrepreneurship and the development of small enterprises could be improved. The importance of face-to-face contacts was stressed. The use of local e-government was hitherto limited to e-services for public procurement. The entrepreneurs who used the e-services had mainly positive experiences, although despite the complexity of the e-services. The respondents did not ask for more municipal e-services, but that could be a consequence of their limited experience of the potential of local e-government. The use of social media among the enterprises was limited due to lack of time, competence and motivation for most of the enterprises, although the potential of social media for marketing was seen as extensive. A few of the respondents were on the other hand very skilled in their use ofdigital media, as a consequence of their professional knowledge and business orientation.
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11. |
- Bernhard, Irene, 1953-, et al.
(författare)
-
A Study of Small Enterprises with Focus on Entrepreneurship and E-government in a Regional Development Context
- 2014
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Ingår i: Uddevalla Symposium 2014. Geography of Growth. The Frequency, Nature and Consequences of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Regions of Varying Density<em></em>: Revised papers. - Trollhättan : Högskolan Väst. - 9789187531026 ; , s. 165-183
-
Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This paper aims to describe and analyse a sample of small enterprises located in a region undergoing structural change with focus on entrepreneurship and e-government and is a further development of a previous study that focused on how municipalities supported entrepreneurship and destination development. In this study the focus is extended to include small enterprises contributing to development of tourist destinations within the same region. In-depth qualitative interviews were made with twelve managers from ten small enterprises. Based on a theoretical discussion of entrepreneurship, e-government and regional development, the results indicate that networks and strategic networking were important for these small enterprises both in terms of developing the enterprise but also to develop entrepreneurship for regional development. The findings further indicate that municipal information, communication and competence development in order to support entrepreneurship and the development of small enterprises could be improved. The importance of face-to-face contacts was stressed. The use of local e-government was hitherto limited to e-services for public procurement. The entrepreneurs who used the e-services had mainly positive experiences, although despite the complexity of the e-services. The respondents did not ask for more municipal e-services, but that could be a consequence of their limited experience of the potential of local e-government. The use of social media among the enterprises was limited due to lack of time, competence and motivation for most of the enterprises, although the potential of social media for marketing was seen as extensive. A few of the respondents were on the other hand very skilled in their use of digital media, as a consequence of their professional knowledge and business orientation.
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12. |
- Bernhard, Iréne, 1953-, et al.
(författare)
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Automation of Digital Public Services : Challenges when Working with Automated Systems and Striving for Inclusion of End-Users
- 2019
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Ingår i: Uddevalla Symposium 2019. - Trollhättan : University West. - 9789188847409 ; , s. 91-105
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The increasing use of automated systems for decision making and decision supportin public administration is forming new practices and challenging public values. Automated decision-making systems are mainly used in administrative systems but require end-users of services to submit relevant data in correct ways to make the services functional. However, not all potential or intended users of these services have the competence and capacity to use them. There is a pressing need to uncover and analyze how professional staff at public agencies respond to users' problems caused by digitalization in general and automation in particular for those who have problems using the services since there is a legal requirement to provide impartial public services. The case study presented in this paper builds on a bottom-up qualitative study including in-depth interviews and observations at two Swedish authorities, the Swedish Public Employment Agency and the Swedish Social Insurance Agency, in two Swedish municipalities. The main contribution by the case study shows how challenges that the professional staff face when they have to support everyone when the main management method is to use automated systems. The first way of addressing risk of exclusion is improved personalized support by the professional "street-level" bureaucrats, and the second is the important support also provided by other citizens and users of the services that enhances inclusion. The study indicates the importance of forming new support structures when public services are digitalized with ambitions to be more efficient.
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13. |
- Bernhard, Iréne, 1953-, et al.
(författare)
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Bringing all clients into the system : Professional digital discretion to enhance inclusion when services are automated
- 2022
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Ingår i: Information Polity. - : IOS Press. - 1570-1255 .- 1875-8754. ; 27:3, s. 373-389
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The increasing use of automated systems for decision-making and decision support in public administration is forming new practices and challenging public values since public services must be impartially accessible and designed for everyone. New robotistic process automation (RPA) systems are generally designed based on back-office structures. This requires clients to submit relevant data correctly in order for these services to function. However, not all potential or intended users of these services have the competence and the capacity to submit accurate data in the correct way. Front-line case workers at public agencies play critical roles in supporting those who have problems using the services due to the a forementioned accessibility requirements and there by work in bridging digital divides. This article analyses strategies used by front-line case workers to complement RPA and improve the inclusion of all clients in the services. It builds on qualitative case studies at two Swedish authorities, including in-depth interviews and observations. The study shows that the discretion of the front-line case workers is limited by the RPA systems, and they also have limited discretion to support clients in their use of the digital services. Instead, they develop strategies in line with more service- and socially-oriented values; duty-oriented values are integrated into the RPA. The analysis shows the importance of forming new support structures for inclusion when public services are automated to maintain the core public values of inclusion and democratic legitimacy.
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14. |
- Bernhard, Irene, 1953-, et al.
(författare)
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Challenging Organizational Issues When Municipal Contact Centers are Implemented in Sweden
- 2013
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Ingår i: Electronic Journal of e-Government. - 1479-439X. ; 11:2, s. 198-209
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Two case studies of the implementation of Contact Centres(CCs) in Swedish municipalities were compared and discussed from anorganizational perspective. The research method was semi-structured qualitative interviews with different personnel categories in both municipalities. Several challenging organizational issues for management and employees were identified:the implementation strategies varied among the cases and affected the pace of implementation, attitudes and motivation, the mental construct and understanding of the implementation. The financing of the CC and recruitment strategies created problems, but in somewhat different ways and in phases of the process in each case. The potential of using registered information as asource for planning and decision-making was not fully utilized, although somestatistics were produced. In both cases there was a combination of formal andinformal learning strategies and flexible co-operation among the employees inthe CCs which contributed to continuous learning processes and a good,co-operative working climate. There was a need for continuous updating ofskills in both cases, but with slightly different focus, related to theorganization of the work. The organization in response groups required morespecialist competence, compared with the organization without response groups,which required more general competence. Some challenges for the caseadministrators in the back offices were to adapt to a more process-oriented organizationof their work, and to co-operate more with their colleagues both in the backoffice and at the CC. They now had the possibility to plan their administrativework in a better way than before, but some administrators missed the previousspontaneous contacts with citizens. Initially, many case administrators wereafraid of losing their jobs and work tasks to CC, contributing to negativeattitudes towards CC and hampering the learning process in taking part in theimplementation process.
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15. |
- Bernhard, Iréne, 1953-, et al.
(författare)
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Collaboration Model for Work-Integrated Learning in Higher Education 3rd Cycle
- 2018
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Ingår i: INTED 2018. - : INTED. - 9788469794807 ; , s. 5509-5515
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Universities need to constantly accommodate new forms of collaboration with society. Interaction with and impacts on society and practice are of crucial importance. University West (UW) in Sweden has a profile area in work-integrated learning (WIL), which generally aims to address issues on integrating theory and practice in a coherent and sustainable way. In this paper we base our arguments on a research education (3rd cycle) in informatics with specialization in work-integrated learning. The aim with the paper is to evaluate UW’s research education and research environment from a WIL perspective. We will adopt an informing science model in order to conduct a current state analysis, in which we identify and visualize collaboration activities within and between the research education/environment and the UWs key stakeholders; society/practices, research community and PhD students. Concrete implications show how collaboration and informing flows are connected and how they can be improved. General reflections are given on the model as a useful means for quality development and assurance beyond learning outcomes, including aspects of collaboration and interaction that can be regarded as paths of societal and practical impacts.
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16. |
- Bernhard, Iréne, 1953-, et al.
(författare)
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Conceptualizing University-Society Collaboration : A Literature Review Focusing on Drivers of Collaboration
- 2018
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Ingår i: ICERI2018 Proceedings. - : IATED. - 9788409059485 ; , s. 9036-9042
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Collaboration and learning are vital for development in all sectors of society and there is a constant need for new ideas, innovation and development. Crucial for dealing with contemporary complex challenges on a local, regional, national and global scale is a need for the inclusion of many perspectives and competences. However, collaboration is never friction free but challenging. A reason for this might be that there are different expectations on goals and outcomes due to that collaborating organizations bring different contexts, Inter-organisational collaborations, cultures, traditions etc. These challenges are addressed by several approaches for university-society collaboration, e.g. Work-Integrated Learning (WIL), University-Industry-Government (Triple-helix), University Community Partnership (UCP), and Public Private Academic Partnership (PPAP). These are all aiming at planning, performing, compiling and leveraging knowledge exchange and co-creating sustainable results. What is less developed is what genuine impact such results do have on society, i.e. societal impacts. Thus, there is a need for gaining more knowledge in research about what key mechanisms that constitutes successful collaboration between academia and various public and private organizations in research projects.This conceptual paper explores the underlying concepts of principles that are used as guidelines for successful university-society collaboration. It draws on a literature review of key concepts selected from established frameworks and models that are current in the field of university-society collaboration, e.g. co-creation, trust, relationship building. The aim of the paper is to gain deeper insights in the complex dynamics of research collaboration by combining previous models with current research literature and suggest implications for both model development as well as principles of conduct when societal impact are to be ensured in university-society collaboration. Hence, the research questions to be addressed in this paper are: What are the key concepts that underlie the dynamics of university-society collaboration in the research literature? How can successful university-society collaboration be conceptualized in order to facilitate co-creation and societal impact?
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17. |
- Bernhard, Iréne, 1953-, et al.
(författare)
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Degree of Digitalization and Citizen Satisfaction : A Study of the Role of Local e-Government in Sweden
- 2018
-
Ingår i: Electronic Journal of e-Government. - : Academic Conferences and Publishing International Limited. - 1479-439X. ; 16, s. 59-71
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim was to investigate whether there is a relationship between degree of e-government in Swedish municipalities and perceived satisfaction among citizens generally. This is a large-scale quantitative study based on validand reliable Swedish national surveys. Based on these surveys, a new comprehensive index for measuring "degree of digitalization" was constructed. Citizen satisfaction was measured using established indices covering three dimensions:satisfaction with living in the municipality, satisfaction with performance of government activities (delivered services), and satisfaction with transparency and influence. The results show that there is a relationship between the degree of digitalization in a municipality and the perceived satisfaction among its citizens. The degree of digitalization is related to all three dimensions of citizen satisfaction. Additionally, this study indicates that the strength of this relationship is in parity with or even stronger than the relationship between citizen satisfaction and other crucial factors such as educational level and median income
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18. |
- Bernhard, Irene, 1953-
(författare)
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E-government and E-governance : Local Implementation of E-government Polices in Sweden
- 2014
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- It is recognized in international research that the public sector has been transformed into a networked, open and more flexible, informal and interactive governance structure. This is described as a transition from “government to governance”. Sweden is one of the international leaders with regards to e-government development. The objective of this thesis is to provide a deeper understanding of how e-government policies are implemented in an e-governance context, through empirical case studies in Sweden. The focus is on the local level. The overall research question is: How is e-government policy put into practice when focusing on the local level? This is reported in four articles.Case study methodology is used as research method, including interviews, focus group interviews, document studies, and some participatory observations. The analysis is partly based on an inductive methodological approach, since this is a new, emerging field of innovative policy and practice.The analysis arrives at three overarching conclusions: (1) In practice, when e-government policy is implemented and translated at the local level, it tends to happen in an e-governance setting conducted by policy entrepreneurs or promoted by entrepreneurial behaviour in public administration. E-government policies are implemented in relation to local cultures, norms and economic structures. (2) Implementation of e-government and e-governance initiatives requires trust in the service provision among public administrators as well as among citizens. Efficiency and citizen-centred approaches in the redesign of information relationships between public administration and citizens to create some sort of added value are crucial. (3) The thesis indicates that there are two main implications of municipal contact centres (CCs): they localize public services and they combine different services into a one-stop practice striving to provide “holistic” services to the individual citizen. However, although the use of ICT is essential for the organisational transformation, the results indicate that the organisational settings and internal anchoring are greater constraints than new technology for implementation of local e-government and e-governance initiatives in the form of contact centres. One example for potential added value is the source of information of citizens’ issues through the implementation of municipal contact centres, which may have a positive impact on the conditions for local planning.
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19. |
- Bernhard, Iréne, 1953-
(författare)
-
Editorial
- 2016
-
Ingår i: International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business. - 1476-1297 .- 1741-8054. ; 29:2, s. 149-153
-
Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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20. |
- Bernhard, Irene, 1953-, et al.
(författare)
-
Editorial
- 2014
-
Ingår i: International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business. - 1476-1297 .- 1741-8054. ; 21:3, s. 269-274
-
Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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21. |
- Bernhard, Iréne, 1953-, et al.
(författare)
-
Editorial
- 2021
-
Ingår i: International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business. - 1476-1297 .- 1741-8054. ; 42:1-2, s. 1-7
-
Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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22. |
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23. |
- Bernhard, Irene, 1953-
(författare)
-
Entrepreneurs and Policy Networks : A Study of the Implementation of two Swedish Municipal Contact Centers
- 2012. - 1
-
Ingår i: Uddevalla Symposium 2012<em> </em>. - Trollhättan : University West. - 9789197794343 ; , s. 79-93
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper aims to discuss lessons learned of policy entrepreneurs to analyze how local policy entrepreneurs are acting in setting up local municipal contact centers - a Swedish local e-governmental initiative. The increased interest in political entrepreneurship has both analytical and practical grounds and implications. The networked governance settings demand new roles of entrepreneurial actors, which are approached here in relation to their localization, how they act to expand action spaces for themselves as well as others in the local community.…This case study is based on qualitative field studies. The main methods used were interviews with key actors, document studies and observations. The results indicate two main implications of Contact Centers; they localize public services and combine different services into a one-stop operation, striving to provide a ‘holistic’ approach to the individual citizen in her local context. However, contact center implementation also includes an organizational change within the municipalities, facilitating a reorganization of back-office procedures in order to optimize the efficiency and quality aspects. The policy entrepreneurs forming the contact centers promoted them from different perspectives and with varying ambitions. In one of the studied cases the core values of inclusion and participation grounded the design of the contact center, while in the other case the issue as such was the key – a new organizational approach. This is here explained as two illustrations of different approaches of policy networks and entrepreneurial behavior.
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24. |
- Bernhard, Irene, 1953-
(författare)
-
Establishment of Customer Centres in the Public Sector in Sweden : the Citizens' Views
- 2010
-
Ingår i: Proceedings of the 10th European Conference on e-Government. - Reading, UK : Academic Publishing Limited. - 9781906638634 ; , s. 63-70
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Today there is a development in Sweden towards reforming the public sector with the help of information technology (IT). The international name for this is eGovernment. This is a political decision aiming not only for increased IT-use in the public sector, but also for the implementation of an organizational change within the municipalities in Sweden. This has led to several Swedish municipalities customer centres having been established.The main function of a municipal customer centre is to supply services to the citizens more efficiently by primarily using telephone and ICTtechnology in order to handle customer contacts. The employees at the customer centres are educated in different subject areas in order to being able to directly answer and solve routine questions and tasks from the citizens that are not too complicated without having to send the questions to the back office of the organisation. This paper aims to analyze some of the consequences for the citizens.The empirical data comes from four municipalities in Sweden and the research method of the study is qualitative (semi-structured telephone-interviews with citizens and recorded interviews with different personnel categories from three municipalities) . The analyzing model used is the “the MOA-model”. It was implemented in order to analyze the establishment’s focus on the customers and it was also used as this study’s theoretical frame of reference.The main result shows that the establishment of the customer centres is something positive from the citizens’ point of view. E.g., the accessibility to the public municipal service has increased for most of the citizens and their experience of the delivered service via the telephone contacts was positive, as well as the registering of every issue with the customer centre which implies that the citizens can govern the needs for public municipality service. However, there are some negative aspects, e.g. the use of touch tone, and there is still a risk of creating a digital divide, especially among elderly citizens.Keywords: Public customer centres, citizens, e-governance, municipality, New Public Management
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25. |
- Bernhard, Iréne, 1953-
(författare)
-
Evaluation of Customer Centre and e-Services in a Swedish Municipality with Focus on the Citizens' Perspective
- 2009
-
Ingår i: 3rd European Conference on Management and Evaluation. - Reading : Academic Publishing Limited. - 9781906638443 ; , s. 34-41
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Communication and quality of service to the citizens are considered to be of utmost importance in today’s society. Even though the Swedish municipalities have a high level of self-regulation and freedom to organize communication and dialogue with their citizens in their own way, the Swedish government has expressed their demands of increased expectations by citing the potential of e-governance and high quality of service in order to increase the efficiency of the service to the citizens. To implement customer centres is one way to meet these demands. This paper offers a critical evaluation of consequences for Swedish citizens regarding the quality of service from the citizens’ perspective in a municipality where a new customer centre and e-services have been developed and established. The main research method is qualitative based upon analysis from interviews with different personnel categories of employees within the municipality. The results are also based on analysis of customer investigations. The results show that this implementation and developing of e-services are mostly positive for the quality of service to the citizens but there are also some weak aspects found.
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26. |
- Bernhard, Irene, 1953-
(författare)
-
Incentives for Inclusive e-Government : The Implementation of Contact Centers in Swedish Municipalities
- 2015. - 1
-
Ingår i: Digital Solutions for Contemporary Democracy and Government. - : IGI Global. - 9781466684300 - 1466684305 - 9781466684317 ; , s. 304-327
-
Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this chapter, the focus is on incentives for inclusive e-government. Five case studies of the implementation of contact centers in Swedish municipalities are described and discussed. The research methods used are mainly qualitative interviews with different categories of municipal personnel and with citizens. The main conclusion is that the implementation seems to contribute to increased accessibility of municipal services, even for those citizens who might have problems using Internet services. The study indicates a development towards increased equal treatment of citizens and a contribution to reducing problems related to the “digital divide.” Municipal services became more adapted to citizens' needs by using citizen-centric methods during the development process and in the daily work of the contact centers. The implementation of municipal contact centers can thus be seen as indicating incentives for local e-democracy and a step towards inclusive e-government, although there is still a need to go further in this direction.
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27. |
- Bernhard, Iréne, 1953-
(författare)
-
Incentives for Inclusive E-Government : The Implementation of Contact Centers in Swedish Municipalities
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Open Government. - : Information Resources Management Association. - 9781522598602 - 9781522598619 ; , s. 60-85
-
Bokkapitel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In this chapter, the focus is on incentives for inclusive e-government. Five case studies of the implementation of contact centers in Swedish municipalities are described and discussed. The research methods used are mainly qualitative interviews with different categories of municipal personnel and with citizens. The main conclusion is that the implementation seems to contribute to increased accessibility of municipal services, even for those citizens who might have problems using Internet services. The study indicates a development towards increased equal treatment of citizens and a contribution to reducing problems related to the "digital divide." Municipal services became more adapted to citizens' needs by using citizen-centric methods during the development process and in the daily work of the contact centers. The implementation of municipal contact centers can thus be seen as indicating incentives for local e-democracy and a step towards inclusive e-government, although there is still a need to go further in this direction.
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28. |
- Bernhard, Iréne, 1953-, et al.
(författare)
-
Inclusive place innovation as a means for local community regeneration
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Diversity, innovation and clusters. - Cheltenham : Edward Elgar Publishing. - 9781789902570 - 9781789902587 ; , s. 57-80
-
Bokkapitel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This chapter contributes knowledge on the challenges of collaboration within local community regeneration in order to identify innovative approaches at work in smaller cities through case studies in Sweden and Norway. Place innovation perspectives are applied to address issues of diversity and inclusiveness in the renewal of a small city centre or district based on cultural heritage. In-depth qualitative interviews in 2016–2018, participatory observations and document studies were conducted. The results reveal stakeholders' views on challenges related to collaborative approaches for place innovation. The complex nature of the two cases is characterized by diverse perspectives, conflicts and attitudes; limited inclusion of stakeholders; lack of digital communication and information as well as face-to-face information, and indistinct place identity. Findings indicate that place innovation requires an integrated approach based on including diverse stakeholder perspectives through common communication spaces, cultivating place identity and applying a step-by-step regeneration.
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29. |
- Bernhard, Iréne, 1953-, et al.
(författare)
-
Industrial PhD Education : Exploring Doctoral Students Acting in the Intersection of Academia and Work-Life
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Proceedings of the Informing Science and Information Technology Education Conference, InSite 2022. - : Informing Science Institute. ; , s. 1-16
-
Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Aim/Purpose:The aim is to explore the benefits and challenges of industrial PhD education through the perspectives of industrial PhD students who are acting in the intersection of academia and work-life by applying a work-integrated learning (WIL) approach to highlight issues that academy and industry need to consider.Background:Industrial PhD education is a vital part of collaboration between academia and society although still an under-researched field. This paper reveals the perspectives of the industrial PhD students who are at the same time involved in both academia and industry, with the same academic demands as traditionally enrolled academic PhD students combined with demands and expectations from their industrial employers.Methodology:Qualitative methods were applied and 19 semi-structured interviews with industrial PhD students were conducted. The empirical context is a Swedish university profiling work-integrated learning offering PhD programs for industrial PhD students from both the private and public sectors.Contribution:This explorative study contributes to advance the current knowledge of third cycle education to deepen the insights into benefits and challenges in industrial PhD education through the perspectives of industrial PhD students acting in the intersection of academia and work-life. By applying a WIL approach on third-cycle education, issues that academy and industry need to consider for successful collaboration within doctoral education are identified.Findings:Findings indicate that industrial PhD students acting in the intersection of academia and work-life are developing practical and transferable skills requested by employers outside academia, hence increasing societal impact. Findings show that industrial PhD education generates several WIL benefits. Novel challenges identified include unclear financial agreements, conflicts of interest, administrative bureaucracy, work promotion opportunities, and lack of be-longing and identity, hence not exploiting the full potential of WIL. This has been further intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic with restricted travel and dependence solely on virtual connections.Recommendations for Practitioners:It is vital to recognize that challenges do exist and need to be considered to strengthen industrial PhD education as well as collaboration between academia and society. Increased communication and continuous interactions between academia and industry during the entire industrial PhD education are needed.Recommendations for Researchers: Future studies of WIL in industrial PhD education are encouraged.Impact of societyThis study contributes insights into PhD education transforming along with societal needs based on successful university-society collaboration.Future Research:Further research is encouraged to deepen and broaden the industry perspective of industrial PhD education.
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30. |
- Bernhard, Iréne, 1953-
(författare)
-
Innovation focusing on regional development in a European context : towards a new research agenda
- 2016
-
Ingår i: International Journal of Innovation and Regional Development. - 1753-0660 .- 1753-0679. ; 7:1, s. 1-19
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Abstract: This article presents a review of recent research in order to discuss a new research agenda on the role of innovation, with focus on its relevance for regional development in a European context. The research question addressed is: what are the theories in recent literature on innovation in the perspective of regional development in order to develop policy-oriented conclusions? The analysis is based on a literature review of 15 articles published in 2012-2013 and is a further literature review analysis from 2011 and 2012. Results are indicating that there is an increasing role for regional policymakers e.g. that policymakers must both recognize and develop policies for forms of knowledge that have not traditionally been considered central to their activities, and an increasing role due to existing multi-level governance. Furthermore; the learning region concept needs to be developed; a broader view and development of a heterodox approach to innovation including not only technological but also other types such as social and public innovation and the importance of networks and social capital for regional innovation are stressed.
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31. |
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32. |
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33. |
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34. |
- Bernhard, Irene, 1953-, et al.
(författare)
-
Lessons Learned from the Implementation of Contact Centers in Swedish Municipalities
- 2013
-
Ingår i: Proceedings of the 13th European Conference on e-Government. - Reading : ACAD CONFERENCES LTD, CURTIS FARM, KIDMORE END, NR READING, RG4 9AY, ENGLAND. - 9781909507227 ; , s. 63-70
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Abstract: Two case studies of the implementation of contact centers (CCs) in Swedish municipalities were compared and analyzed. The purpose of the article is to focus on lessons learned from the perspectives of the management and the employees in the organizations according to the MOA-model. The research method used was semi-structured qualitative interviews with different personnel categories in both municipalities. According to our findings the implementation strategies varied among the two cases. The strategies affected the pace of implementation, attitudes and motivation aspects and understanding of the implementation. The potential of using registered information as a source for planning and decision-making was not fully utilized in the municipal organizations, although some statistics were produced. In both cases there was a combination of formal and informal learning strategies and flexible co-operation among the employees in the CCs which contributed to continuous learning processes and a good, co-operative working climate. Some learning challenges for the handling officers at the back offices were to adapt to a more process-oriented organization. Initially, many handling officers at the back-office were afraid of losing their jobs and work tasks to CC, contributing to negative attitudes towards CC, and hampering the learning process in taking part in the implementation process. The establishment of a CC is a comprehensive organizational change process affecting the whole municipal administration. A challenge for the municipalities is to formulate relevant strategies and manage the implementation in order to involve all employees.
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35. |
- Bernhard, Irene, 1953-
(författare)
-
Local e-Government in Sweden : Municipal Contact Center implementation with focus on Citizens and Public Administrators
- 2014
-
Ingår i: Journal of Community Informatics. - 1712-4441. ; 10:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of the article is to analyze the implementation of municipal contact centers (CCs) - an e-government initiative on the local level - from the perspectives of citizens and public administrators. This article is based on case studies from four Swedish municipalities. The results indicate that the CCs: contribute to increased access to municipal service, localize public services and combine different services into a one-stop practice striving to provide a "holistic" approach to the individual citizen in her local context. However, the quality of the service also depends on the organizations of the work within the back-office of the municipality. All issues from the citizens were registered which contribute to increased knowledge about the citizens needs and perceptions regarding municipality services and planning in urban issues.
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36. |
- Bernhard, Irene, 1953-
(författare)
-
Local e-Government in Sweden : Municipal Contact Centre Implementation with Focus on Public Administrators and Citizens
- 2014
-
Ingår i: Journal of Community Informatics. - Vancouver, Canada : open journal systems. - 1712-4441. ; 10:1, s. 1-15
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of the article is to analyze the implementation of municipal contact centers (CCs) – an e-government initiative on the local level- from the perspectives of public adiminstrators and the citizens. This article is based on case studies from four Swedish municipalites. The results indicate that the CCs: contribute to increased access to municipal service, localize public services and combine different services into a one-stop practice striving to provide a “holistic” approach to the individual citizen in her local context. However, the quality of the service also depends on the organization of the work within the back office of the municipalities. All issues from citizens were registered in a common database which may be a potantail contribution local planning and to increased knowledge about the citizens’ needs and perceptions regarding municipality services.
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37. |
- Bernhard, Irene, 1953-, et al.
(författare)
-
Municipal Contact Centers : A Slower Approach towards Sustainable Local Development
- 2011. - 1
-
Ingår i: Uddevalla Symposium 2011. Entrepreneurial Knowledge, Technology and Transformation of Regions. - Trollhättan : Högskolan Väst. - 9789197794329 ; , s. 111-125
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The constitutional local autonomy of Swedish municipalities aims to relate democracy and public administration to local distinctiveness. It relies on the idea of subsidiarity and rests on the idea of a local common and the citizen’s own inter-pretation of common problems and activities. This gives a unique opportunity to develop Swedish municipalities as slow cities. In Sweden there are some local food initiatives focusing on local and traditional production, hospitality and delivering. However, to live slow is also about how, where and when everyday life take place. This in spite of that all municipalities have explicit sustainability policies. A reason for this could be the dominating discourse of welfare efficiency, production and growth. One of the most recent approach to keep up the image as well as the practice of Sweden as a sustainable but still efficient, fast and well-organized state is e-government. The high Internet penetration among Swedes opens for as well as asks for improved and developed governmental services on-line. In Sweden, a recent governmental action plan stresses the importance of using information and communication technologies (ICT) in order to effectively develop the Swedish public administration with the aim to ”make it as simple as possible for as many as possible” leading to improved accessibility for all citizens. This has led to that public municipal contact centers have been established. Contacts centers are both physical and on-line. E-government could be considered as fast government, but in this paper we will try to turn that obvious first impression up-side down. We will conceptual argue that municipal contact centers are a tool towards improved sustainability, localism and slowing up administration. Thus there are two main implications of contact centers, they localize public services and they combine different services into a one-stop practice. This strives to provide a ‘holistic’ approach of the individual in relation to the governmental administration. The conclusions of the paper are a double modeling. Firstly, we point out the implications of time-geographical modeling of slow processes. Secondly, we place e-government and contact centers in this model. Policy implications relate both to the conceptualization of slow processes and the potential to further develop municipal contact centers.
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38. |
- Bernhard, Irene, 1953-, et al.
(författare)
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Municipal Contact Centres : A Slower Approach Towards Sustainable Local Development by E-government
- 2015
-
Ingår i: European Planning Studies. - London, UK : Informa UK Limited. - 0965-4313 .- 1469-5944. ; 23:11, s. 2292-2309
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- It is Swedish government policy to use information and communication technologies to increase sustainability. This has implications for planning and local organization of communities. In the municipalities where most public services are provided, there are growing numbers of local contact centres (CCs) aiming to meet citizens’ needs for information and coordination of public services. The CCs localize public services and combine different services into a one-stop practice focusing on needs and demands of individual citizens and their unique situations. The municipalities hereby have to plan for service provision in new ways to meet more individualized needs that are also in line with improved sustainability. CCs are both local offices and advanced services on-line, as e-governmental services. E-government could be considered fast government, but this article aims to turn that obvious first impression upside down and discuss how e-government can slow down and make services more local, personalized and sustainable. Theoretically we take off from a time-geographical modelling of slow processes that has implication for slower, more sustainable development. Based on in-depth case studies of municipal CCs we argue that they are tools towards improved sustainability and localism, and that they are “slowing up” administrative processes. In particular, we point out that e-government has a potential to plan for, and promote, sustainability and slow local development.
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39. |
- Bernhard, Irene, 1953-, et al.
(författare)
-
Municipal Support of Entrepreneurship and Business Development from an e-government Perspective
- 2015
-
Ingår i: A Nordic Perspective on Co‐Operation for Sustainable Destination and Regional Development. - Uddevalla : University West. ; , s. 44-58
-
Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This article will contribute to the debate about regional development in peripheral areas by examining the social capital in 14 villages in a Danish municipality, and particularly the influence of social media on the social capital.Contrary to the current public discourse in Denmark on peripheral communities and how they are falling apart because of demographic changes, economic cut backs, and structural changes, this study did not find one single village, where the social capital seems to be in any imminent danger. The article also proposes a different perspective on the operationalization of social capital. Social capital is typically measured in big international values surveys based on the variables network, trust and reciprocity. However, this study is based on a qualitative research with interviews in 14 villages in a peripheral Danish municipality. This in depth research shows that when examining the social capital of communities, the most valuable parameter is to look at the most typical proxy for network: associations and in particular the character of these associations. They furthermore give an indication of the kind of social capital they are building and maintaining.The study also shows that we might have to extend the notion of network to include that of social media as this type of network gets increasingly more important. However, the study cannot conclude that the communities not using the social media have less social capital then the one who does, nor that they are disconnected from the citizens.
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40. |
- Bernhard, Irene, 1953-, et al.
(författare)
-
Municipal Support of Entrepreneurship and Business Development from an e-Government Perspective
- 2013. - 1
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Ingår i: Uddevalla Symposium 2013 Innovation, High-Growth Entrepreneurship and Regional Development. - Trollhättan : University West. - 9789197794374 ; , s. 177-193
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper aims to describe and analyze municipal support of entrepreneurship and business development from an e-government perspective. We analyze two Swedish municipalities and a local tourism company partly owned by the municipalities located in a region undergoing structural change, focusing on efforts of municipalities to develop digital services to support entrepreneurship and business development to promote local and regional development. The research method is based on case study methodology. The case studies are part of the research project “Maritime Inlands – past, present and future strengths” (Marifus) financed by Interregional European Union Regional Development Fund (Interrreg). Based on theoretical discussions of entrepreneurship and e-government theories, the analyses of the two case studies show substantial variations in how they supported entrepreneurship. The findings indicated that e-government services so far have under-used potential for the studied municipalities and the tourism company in order to support efficient communication and information towards the entrepreneurs and businesses aiming at local and regional development.
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41. |
- Bernhard, Iréne, 1953-, et al.
(författare)
-
Network collaboration for local and regional development the case of Swedish women entrepreneurs
- 2020
-
Ingår i: International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business. - : InderScience Publishers. - 1476-1297 .- 1741-8054. ; 41:4, s. 539-561
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this study is to explore women entrepreneurs participation in networks with focus on local community collaboration. In recent years interest in the importance of women entrepreneurship worldwide has increased, especially from the viewpoint of local and regional development. Previous studies show that local competitors coordinated in networks can gain cross sector knowledge sharing and boost the attractiveness of a region. Using case study methodology with 14 qualitative semi-structured in-depth interviews in two phases with business counselors and women entrepreneurs, participatory observations and document studies, this study explores women entrepreneurs in smaller cities and their collaboration in networks with particular reference to a Swedish context. Results state that women entrepreneurs are active and participate in various local community networks and that networks are viewed as valuable assets for business development. Women entrepreneurs strategically choose to join strong networks that have an impact on local community development. Challenges faced by women entrepreneurs are mainly related to the role as entrepreneur and running a business in a smaller city. However, some specific gendered challenges are lack of trust or respect from other business and public actors, especially in contact with authorities. The women entrepreneurs have mixed experiences of local community support hence the main sources for renewal processes and knowledge sharing are co-owners, staff, digital tools, networks partners, families and friends.
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42. |
- Bernhard, Irene, 1953-, et al.
(författare)
-
Networking and e-government for local development : experiences gained by entrepreneurs in small enterprises in Sweden
- 2016
-
Ingår i: International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business. - 1476-1297 .- 1741-8054. ; 29:2, s. 154-175
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper aims to analyse experiences gained by entrepreneurs in small enterprises located in a region undergoing structural change, focusing on networking and e-government for local development. The study is a further development of a study that focused on how municipalities supported entrepreneurship and destination development. In-depth qualitative interviews were made with twelve entrepreneurs from ten small enterprises. Based on a theoretical discussion of networking, e-government and social media marketing, the results indicate that networks and strategic networking were important in order to develop their enterprises, which also contributed to local development. The importance of initial face-to-face contacts in order to build business relationships in networks was stressed. The use of local e-government was hitherto limited to e-services for public procurement, the use of social media marketing was limited due to lack of time, competence and motivation for most of the entrepreneurs.
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43. |
- Bernhard, Irene, 1953-, et al.
(författare)
-
One foot in academia and one in work-life : the case of Swedish industrial PhD students
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Journal of Workplace Learning. - : Emerald Group Publishing Limited. - 1366-5626 .- 1758-7859. ; 35:6, s. 506-523
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose – The purpose of this study is to explore the benefits and barriers for learning in industrial PhD education through the perspectives of industrial PhD students. A work-integrated learning (WIL) approach is applied to highlight key issues that university and industry need to consider promoting mutual learning.Design/methodology/approach – The empirical context is a Swedish university profiling WIL offering PhD programs in three disciplines for industrial PhD students from both the private and public sectors. Data was gathered using qualitative methods; 19 semistructured interviews with industrial PhD students.Findings – Findings show that industrial PhD students are developing practical and transferable skills, hence, contributing to research of interest for academia and work–life. Identified benefits for learning include proximity and access to data, project and networks and contextual understanding and tacit knowledge. Barriers for learning are the perceived limited understanding of employers, the dilemma of balancing and switching between different roles, lack of belonging and identity, deficient collaboration agreements and ethical dilemmas.Research limitations/implications – Contributes insights into an industrial PhD education transforming along with societal needs promoting a future workforce of researchers with skills, new work practices and learning capabilities applicable in the work–life of contemporary society.Originality/value – This study contributes to the emerging field of studies of alternative doctoral educations by identifying benefits and barriers for learning and providing recommendations for how university and industry may promote learning in a resilient industrial PhD education collaboration.
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44. |
- Bernhard, Irene, 1953-, et al.
(författare)
-
Policy entrepreneurs in networks : implementation of two Swedish municipal contact centres from an actor perspective
- 2014
-
Ingår i: International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business. - United Kingdom : InderScience Publishers. - 1476-1297 .- 1741-8054. ; 21:3, s. 288-302
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study aims to elaborate on the meanings of policy entrepreneurs and through the conceptualisation analysing implementation of local municipal contact centres - a Swedish local e-governmental initiative. The paper builds on qualitative case studies including interviews, observations and document analysis, all analysed through the perspective of policy entrepreneurs. Local policies are implemented in relation to local cultures, norms and economic structures. The networked governance structure demands entrepreneurial actors to combine resources and interests into a change. Here it is identified both theoretically and practical, two types of such entrepreneurial actors. The issue entrepreneur focuses on the issue as such and focuses on the solution to a single problem. The political entrepreneur, on the other hand, focuses on core values and long term structural changes. The emerging networked governance structure asks for improved knowledge on policy entrepreneurship both for analytical and practical improvements. The findings may provide useful information for municipal e-government planning specifically when planning for implementing contact centres. The study enriches the existing literature on policy entrepreneurs in networks expanding the roles to include also local e-government contexts.
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45. |
- Bernhard, Irene, 1953-, et al.
(författare)
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Public E-servive as an Innovative Organisational Setting for Entrepreneurial Behavior
- 2009. - 1
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Ingår i: Uddevalla Symposium 2009 The Geography of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. - Trollhättan : University West. - 9789163355714 ; , s. 205-222
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Public e-services are technical innovations leading to organisational changes. The basic pre-conditions of e-services in the public sector differ in several perspectives from the private sector and e-commerce. For example when the “customers” are citizens instead of consumers the distribution of, access to and use of the services are different. Thus there are demands for developing general models and approaches to analyse as well as promote public e-services. Governmental e-services bring out innovative organisational changes based on how the public sector can meet the e-society and bridge over formerly unseen divides. However, such changes demand an innovative behaviour among actors in usually strictly and formally defined roles. The conceptual model developed in this paper will discuss the differences of e-services, e-administration and e-democracy. Following on to this model an illustrative case of a public e-service on the Internet is presented analysed through the model. The e-service extending the geographical reach of public organisations is the Common application system for upper secondary school, in the regions of West Sweden and Östergötland in Sweden.
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46. |
- Bernhard, Irene, 1953-, et al.
(författare)
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Regional e-governance : Promoting Entrepreneurial Behavior in Public Administration
- 2014. - 1
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Ingår i: Agglomeration, clusters and entrepreneurship. - Cheltenham : Edward Elgar Publishing. - 9781783472635 - 9781849809269 ; , s. 199-220
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Public e-services are technical innovations which enable organizational changes. The basic pre-conditions for e-services in the public sector differ in several respects from e-commerce in the private sector. When the “customers” are citizens, the distribution of, access to and use of the services are not based on an open market distribution. Public e-services bring about innovative organizational changes for the new e-society and bridge formerly unseen digital divides. However, such changes demand an innovative behaviour among people in professional roles which are usually strictly and formally defined. The conceptual model developed in this paper will discuss the differences of e-services, e-administration and e-democracy. Following this model, an illustrative case of a public e-service on the Internet will be presented and analyzed. The e-service extending the geographical reach of public organizations is the Common application system for upper secondary school in the regions of West Sweden and Östergötland in Sweden. The professionals in public administration acted as entrepreneurs and improved the intended benefits of the e-service. We therefore see a demand for developing general models to analyze as well as for promoting public e-services.
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47. |
- Bernhard, Iréne, 1953-, et al.
(författare)
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Samverkansmodell för Arbetsintegrerat Lärande i Forskarutbildning : En ökad samhällsrelevans genom interaktiva flöden
- 2020
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Universiteten i Sverige och övriga världen måste ständigt se över former för förbättrat utbyte med det omgivande samhället. Strategier för samverkan behöver kunna följas upp, mätas och förbättras. På Högskolan Väst (HV) har vi vårt profilområde inom arbetsintegrerat lärande (AIL), som generellt syftar till att integrera såväl teori som praktik i både utbildning, forskning och samverkan - på ett systematiskt och hållbart sätt. I denna rapport kartläggs samverkanseffekter i forskarutbildningen i informatik med inriktning mot arbetsintegrerat lärande. Syftet med rapporten är att utvärdera forskarutbildningen och forskningsmiljön från ett AIL-perspektiv. Vi har utgått från en informativ vetenskapsmodell (Informing Flows Framework) för att genomföra en nulägesanalys där vi identifierar och visualiserar samarbetstyper inom och mellan forskar-utbildningen/forskningsmiljön och Högskolan Västs nyckelaktörer: praktiken, forskarsamhället och doktorander. Konkreta implikationer visar hur samverkan och informationsflöden är kopplade och hur de kan förbättras. Allmänna reflektioner ges på modellen som ett användbart sätt för kvalitetsutveckling som går bortom de traditionella lärandemålen. Vi ser klara utvecklingsvägar för att kunna inkludera fler och djupare aspekter av samarbete och interaktion, som kan ge förbättrat utbyte och tydligare mått och strategier för vad och hur vi ska betrakta ”societal impact” för forskarutbildningen.
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48. |
- Bernhard, Iréne, 1953-, et al.
(författare)
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Stakeholder Collaboration for Place Innovation : Challenges and Visions in Local Regeneration
- 2018
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Ingår i: Uddevalla Symposium 2018: Diversity, Innovation, Entrepreneurship – Regional, Urban, National and International Perspectives. - Trollhättan : University West. - 9789188847119 ; , s. 127-145
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper takes its point of departure from urban place innovation studies with focus on stakeholders' interests and involvement in developing local communities in smaller cities. The aim of the present paper is to identify place innovation challenges among local community stakeholders and to discuss approaches to involve stakeholders in local regeneration through case studies in Norway and Sweden.In-depth qualitative interviews have been conducted during the years 2016-2018. In total 40 different stakeholders representing local entrepreneurs, non-profit organizations, municipalities, elected officials and residents with particular interests in regeneration of the local communities have been interviewed. Additional participatory observations and document studies were conducted. The results reveal stakeholders' views on challenges and opportunities related to collaborative approaches for place innovation. The complex nature of the two cases is characterized by cultural heritage, authenticity, indistinct place identity, insufficient communication and inclusion together with a mix of nostalgia and resignation. Findings indicate that place innovation requires an integrated approach based on stakeholder collaboration and engagement in order to develop the potential of city centers.
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49. |
- Bernhard, Iréne, 1953-, et al.
(författare)
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The Old Town District : Not Just a Scenic Backdrop - Stakeholders' Perspectives in Urban Re-generation
- 2017
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Ingår i: Uddevalla Symposium 2017: Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Industrial Dynamics in Internationalized Regional Economies. - Trollhättan : University West. - 9789187531613 ; , s. 111-127
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper takes its point of departure from an urban place innovation study with focus on local stakeholders with particular interest in the Old Town District in a Norwegian community. The aim of this paper is to identify place innovation challenges among local community stakeholders and to discuss approaches to integrate stakeholders in urban regeneration. We have conducted qualitative interviews with 21 different stakeholders representing local entrepreneurs, non-profit organizations, the municipality, elected officials, tourism organization and residents with particular interest in the Old Town District. Additional observations and document studies were conducted. The results reveal stakeholders' views on challenges and opportunities related to how such regeneration collaboration might be conducted. The complex nature is characterized by strong cultural heritage and a mix of opinions and visions. We argue that urban regeneration requires an integrated approach based on stakeholder collaboration and engagement in order to develop the potential of an old town district into something that is more than a scenic backdrop. We discuss several implications as prerequisites for integrated collaborative approaches in place innovation (urban regeneration).
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50. |
- Bernhard, Irene, 1953-
(författare)
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The Role of Innovation with Focus on its Relevance for Regional Development : A Selected Recent Literature Review
- 2014
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Ingår i: Uddevalla Symposium 2014. Geography of Growth. The Frequency, Nature and Consequences of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Regions of Varying Density. - Trollhättan : University West. - 9789187531026 ; , s. 145-164
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The purpose of this paper is to present a review of recent research theories and to draw some conclusions for a new tentative research agenda on the role of innovation with focus on its relevance for regional development in a European context. The paper is more policy-oriented than theory-oriented. The analysis is based on a literature review of 15 articles published in 2012 or 2013 and is a further study of a literature review analysis based on selected literature from 2011 and 2012. The method has an explorative approach that is primarily concerned with generating knowledge for building theory. Some tentative implications for a new research agenda are suggested although results imply that for some of the most innovative European regions, innovation does not always pay off. It is suggested to apply a broader view of the concept of regional innovation including not only technological but also other types such as social innovation. Further it is suggested that a region no longer should be viewed as a bounded territory with a set of characteristics but as a space of professionals and social networks. A more proactive role by regional governance is advocated. It is argued that there is an increasing role of regional policymakers, not least to develop policies for different types of knowledge that have not traditionally been considered central to their activities. A constructed regional advantage approach based more on the uniqueness of the capabilities of regions and not only on the basis of R&D efforts is still argued for. The importance of cross-sector knowledge interactions and the importance of combining different types of knowledge for driving innovation are suggested. Further, the concept of “learning region” is criticized and needs to be developed. A theoretical framework towards a suggestion for operationalization of the concept of “learning region” is presented.
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