Many technical issues like speech recognition and signal processing have to be addressed for the design of speech communication systems. However, before designing a speech application starts, 3 key questions that have to be answered: who will use it, why and how often? Only if the designer is clear about these questions, he is able to provide a maximum of target group orientation.

This book gives focuses on these high-level questions and gives a criteria when and how to design speech systems. After an introduction, the state of the art in modern voice user interfaces is displayed. The following parts of the book evolve criteria for designing and evaluating successful voice user interfaces. In the last chapter, outlines and trends of this fast growing area are displayed.

Before designing a speech application system, three key questions have to be answered: who will use it, why and how often? This book focuses on these high-level questions and gives a criteria of when and how to design speech systems. After an introduction, the state-of-the-art in modern voice user interfaces is displayed. The book goes on to evolve criteria for designing and evaluating successful voice user interfaces. Trends in this fast growing area are also presented.

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) create potentials for considerable productivity gains and for higher economic growth. However, ICTs also pose varied challenges to firms in order to benefit from these potentials. Highlighting the importance of innovations, firm-sponsored training, and recruitment of high-skilled workers, this monograph analyses why and to what extent firms differ in their capabilities to make ICT work productively. The work also comprises a detailed discussion of economic theory concerning ICT use and complementary firm strategies. In addition it provides a comprehensive treatment of various methodological issues concerning the measurement of firm-level productivity in econometric analyses.