Over the past decade, putting public services on-line has been a focus of huge policy and financial investments aimed at providing more joined-up service delivery. For some this is part of a transformation that is bringing about a new era of integrated digital government. For others digitalization means threats to privacy and security and a strengthening of bureaucracy. In the UK and beyond, front-line service providers and citizens have been slow to take up digital services whilst major projects have floundered. This book takes a fresh look at this vital area for public policy and practice. Informed by over ten years of original research on the 'inside' of projects to put local services on-line, the authors combine cross-disciplinary insights to provide a new social informatics perspective on digital government. Experiences in areas such as health and social care are used to illustrate the dangers of 'over-integration' when key decisions are left to system designers, as they seek to integrate information in centralized systems. The authors argue for a new 'architectural discourse' to change the way that systems are deployed, evolve, and are governed. This leads to the conclusion that increased coordination of public services in a digital economy is better achieved through federated rather than integrated services that recognize the infrastructural nature of information systems and the essential role of co-production in their future evolution

Creative Technological Change draws upon a wide range of thinking from organisational theory, innovation studies and the sociology of technology. It explores the different ways in which these questions have been framed and answered, especially in relation to new 'virtual' technologies. The idea of metaphor is used to capture the differences between, and strengths and weaknesses of various ways of conceptualising the technology/organisation relationship. This approach offers the possibility of developing new ways of thinking about, viewing and ultimately responding creatively to the organisational challenges posed by technological change.

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What is creative technological change? This text explores new ways of thinking and acting in relation to this question in contemporary organizations. It examines how technology shapes organizations and how organizations shape technology - especially "virtual" and other information and computing technologies. A wide range of thinking on these issues from organizational theory, political economy, evolutionary economics, feminist analysis, the sociology of technology and the "new socio-technical theory" is outlined. The idea of metaphor is deployed to capture the differences between, and strengths and weaknesses of, different ways of conceptualizing the technology/organization relationship. It is argued that this approach offers the possibility of developing new ways of thinking about, viewing and ultimately responding creatively to the organizational challenges posed by technological change. The book concludes by outlining a model of the process by which technology and organization are configured. Topics covered include: machine, biological and virtual ways of understanding technology and organization; the evolution of innovative organizational forms; the politics of consuming techno

Concerned with the management of complex long-term engineering projects, this important volume, of great interest to postgraduate students of business, technology management and engineering, reports on a set of rich, novel and unique findings concerning the conduct and management of three high profile and complex projects. The major investments which constitute complex long-term projects represent an increasingly important source of economic activity, often with particularly significant consequences for economic growth and public policy. This informative volume expertly contributes to broader debates concerning new organizational forms, knowledge management and organizational learning and the management of innovation in project-based settings.

Concerned with the management of complex long-term engineering projects, this important volume, of great interest to postgraduate students of business, technology management and engineering, reports on a set of rich, novel and unique findings concerning the conduct and management of three high profile and complex projects.

The major investments which constitute complex long-term projects represent an increasingly important source of economic activity, often with particularly significant consequences for economic growth and public policy. This informative volume expertly contributes to broader debates concerning new organizational forms, knowledge management and organizational learning and the management of innovation in project-based settings.

An authoritative collection of the leading critical and contemporary writings published in the field of technology and organizations, this set spans a key fifty-year period. The volumes take the reader from the first and most influential papers from the early 1950s, through to recent publications which address contemporary and emerging debates in the field at the dawn of a new century.
Each of the 4 volumes has a particular focus upon this key area of research and scholarship:
* the early debates
* theories, paradigms and concepts
* critical empirical studies
* emerging themes and future debates
The editors provide an original introduction to, and overview of, the themes, debates, perspectives, theories and paradigms which characterise this key area of organisation studies. An extensive index guides the reader through the four volumes.

Applied Speech and Audio Processing is a MATLAB-based, one-stop resource that blends speech and hearing research in describing the key techniques of speech and audio processing. This practically oriented text provides MATLAB examples throughout to illustrate the concepts discussed and to give the reader hands-on experience with important techniques. Chapters on basic audio processing and the characteristics of speech and hearing lay the foundations of speech signal processing, which are built upon in subsequent sections explaining audio handling, coding, compression, and analysis techniques. The final chapter explores a number of advanced topics that use these techniques, including psychoacoustic modelling, a subject which underpins MP3 and related audio formats. With its hands-on nature and numerous MATLAB examples, this book is ideal for graduate students and practitioners working with speech or audio systems.

Incorporate embedded computing technology in projects and devices of all sizes This comprehensive engineering textbook lays out foundational computer architecture principles and teaches, step by step, how to apply those concepts in cutting-edge embedded applications. The book includes everything you need to know about embedded computing-from fundamentals and processor internals to networking and connectivity. Computer Systems: An Embedded Approach begins by thoroughly explaining constituent hardware components, including processors, storage devices, and accelerators. From there, the book shows how operating systems work and how they provide a layer of services between hardware and software. You will get coverage of foundational networking, pervasive computing concepts, and the Internet of Things (IoT). The book concludes with a look to the future of embedded computing systems. *This single resource takes readers right up to being ready to learn programming*Covers code aspects from the IEEE, POSIX, and OSI models *Written by a recognized academic and experienced author