Business strategies and policies which proved to be successful in increasing internet penetration in the early days may no longer be appropriate. This is likely to be highly probable in countries where the majority of people are already... more
Business strategies and policies which proved to be successful in increasing internet penetration in the early days may no longer be appropriate. This is likely to be highly probable in countries where the majority of people are already connected to the internet. As more people have the ability to be connected online, it becomes more likely that the remaining fraction of non-adopters is either difficult to convince, under-skilled or simply lacking the financial resources to afford a connection. In view of this problem, this paper proposes a policy approach aimed at increasing personal computer and internet acceptance in collaboration with industry. The measures developed within this approach are based on strategies of segmentation and differentiation. This entails the specific targeting of product offerings towards different socio-demographic groups within the population. In addition, our approach not only concentrates on removing barriers, as most e-inclusion policies do, but also ...
An institutional web site design cannot leave out of consideration the conformity with specific regulations and is a job which involves different and specialized professionalities. Concepts as accessibility and usability must be held into... more
An institutional web site design cannot leave out of consideration the conformity with specific regulations and is a job which involves different and specialized professionalities. Concepts as accessibility and usability must be held into consideration, not neglecting the vital cycle analysis of the contents and as these must be carried towards the web site visitors. The discussion involves the editorial coordination that must guarantee to the user that the entire site is benefited in the same way, with the same clarity and a coherent language, as the contents are produced from various structures. There are detailed instruments and strategies that have brought to the publication of release 3.0 of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità site and it comes back a panoramic on the method with which it has been managed this new project, since the dynamism is a continuous necessity and one of the foundations of the web communication.
Most e-governments have been using the WCAG 1.0 guidelines as reference to probe their compliance to web accessibility principles. This was reflected in their local accessibility policies, website design,... more
Most e-governments have been using the WCAG 1.0 guidelines as reference to probe their compliance to web accessibility principles. This was reflected in their local accessibility policies, website design, maintenance, and accessibility testing activities. Recently, WCAG 2.0 emerged as an ISO/IEC 40500:2012 International accessibility standard that has been recommended for adoption by the W3C WAI. This paper seeks to examine if there is a need for egovernments to reassess their web accessibility conformance, in light of the latest WCAG 2.0 standard. A case study related to the 21 Dubai e-government websites is presented whereby accessibility is evaluated based on the WCAG 1.0 and WCAG 2.0 guidelines and using automated accessibility testing tools. We found that WCAG 2.0 conformance testing identified some notable accessibility issues that were not revealed by WCAG 1.0 conformance testing. Hence we recommend that e-governments should develop and update their web content and accessibility policies to conform to the latest WCAG 2.0 guidelines and success criteria. Additional implications for practice and for academic research are also provided.
* This research was selected for the special issue of the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP), Working Group 8.6 2007 annual conference (see the entry for this conference). This publication is part of the special... more
* This research was selected for the special issue of the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP), Working Group 8.6 2007 annual conference (see the entry for this conference). This publication is part of the special issue.
Given the importance of contextual influences on the diffusion of innovations, the theories and methodologies that take context into account are increasingly relevant to research and practice. One such approach, the systems of innovation approach, considers context to be a cascading set of effects arising from various participants and innovations surrounding the production and diffusion of a focal innovation. Based on this approach, we focus on a public program involved in the diffusion of e-business systems to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). E-business systems are complex innovations, and the contextual influences are particularly important here, because SMEs often lack the knowledge and resources to strategically adopt, modify, and use these innovations. Using the systems of innovation approach, we examined the contexts around public program interventions with an SME in order to explain their form and influence on e-business adoption processes. The empirical findings suggest that many public programs fail to effectively deliver interventions because program contexts restrict program personnel's ability to completely assess and respond to the range of adopter needs. While some aspects of the program contexts can be altered by the program directors, others are further removed and are currently beyond our collective control at this point-in-time. The implications for diffusion research and practice are discussed.
"Current demographic changes which are characterized by a steadily increasing number of elderly people call for changes in natural areas visitor management. Due to specific age-related physical deficits and changes such as visual... more
"Current demographic changes which are characterized by a steadily increasing number of elderly people call for changes in natural areas visitor management. Due to specific age-related physical deficits and changes such as visual impairment or walking disabilities these visitors demand for
specific infrastructure. However, the availability of these elements must be communicated to the elderly. This asks for particular designed information media. Here web maps runnable on desktop and mobile devices can be the tools of choice. Based on research conducted within the project
AccessibleMap this paper aims to offer suggestions for accessible web maps, providing elderly people with relevant
information when visiting natural areas."
The purpose of this study was to find out if highly educated individuals with physical disabilities are employed in the ICT sector. This question is important due to little knowledge thus far despite the fact that there is a large group... more
The purpose of this study was to find out if highly educated individuals with physical disabilities are employed in the ICT sector. This question is important due to little knowledge thus far despite the fact that there is a large group of disabled people who have graduated in the ICT sector, however unemployed. An empirical study was carried out with the help of a qualitative research method based on nine semistructured interviews. The study showed that disability has a significant impact when people choose the ICT sector for their studies. In addition, the study showed that people with disabilities can be employed in the ICT sector. The study also showed that people with physical disabilities are mainly able to work in the ICT sector independently and that they integrate into the working community well. It was also significant that almost all interviewees had a long career with the same employer.
Una risorsa aggiornata per quanti, operatori, studiosi, ma non solo, vogliano tenersi aggiornati in un momento in cui il continuo svilupparsi di piattaforme e applicazioni tecnologiche anticipa domande e risposte, e il passaggio alla... more
Una risorsa aggiornata per quanti, operatori, studiosi, ma non solo, vogliano tenersi aggiornati in un momento in cui il continuo svilupparsi di piattaforme e applicazioni tecnologiche anticipa domande e risposte, e il passaggio alla cittadinanza digitale si va rapidamente e inesorabilmente compiendo. Questa è la caratteristica dei seminari Compu-tec (Comunicazione Pubblica e Tecnologie), in programma da tre anni all’Università degli Studi di Siena, di cui questo volume rappresenta la sintesi annuale. Docenti ed esperti di comunicazione pubblica e di tecnologie propongono qui le proprie recenti elaborazioni su: diffusione delle tecnologie digitali nella società contemporanea; mutazione della sfera pubblica; media sociali e loro applicazioni nella comunicazione pubblica; tecnologie per la partecipazione, digital divide e accesso ai soggetti diversamente abili; giovani consumatori di media digitali in relazione con le amministrazioni pubbliche; città e cittadini alle prese con le nuove tecnologie; Protezione Civile tra comunicazione e reputazione online; cittadini e canali per comunicare l’Europa.
Ethical questions about information and communications technologies (ICT) have been de-bated since World War II. Western democracies have had more than 50 years of experience in addressing and organising the ethical, social and legal... more
Ethical questions about information and communications technologies (ICT) have been de-bated since World War II. Western democracies have had more than 50 years of experience in addressing and organising the ethical, social and legal aspects (ESLA) of scientific and technolog-ical developments. However, this expertise, tradition and experience are not enough to manage the most urgent ethical and social issues and contemporary challenges involving ICT. A systematic and institutional organisation of social values in the context of modern ICT tools is needed. This paper focuses on four major areas: (i) developing a specific approach to ethical issues raised by ICT; (ii) describing in more detail the age-related digital divide in Europe; (iii) identifying technology trends and emerging challenges; and (iv) defining the legal framework for inclusion of senior citizens in the digital society. The paper then concludes with a summary of its key points on the basis of which it makes three pr...
The purpose of this study was to find out if highly educated individuals with physical disabilities are employed in the ICT sector. This question is important due to little knowledge thus far despite the fact that there is a large group... more
The purpose of this study was to find out if highly educated individuals with physical disabilities are employed in the ICT sector. This question is important due to little knowledge thus far despite the fact that there is a large group of disabled people who have graduated in the ICT sector, however unemployed. An empirical study was carried out with the help of a qualitative research method based on nine semistructured interviews. The study showed that disability has a significant impact when people choose the ICT sector for their studies. In addition, the study showed that people with disabilities can be employed in the ICT sector. The study also showed that people with physical disabilities are mainly able to work in the ICT sector independently and that they integrate into the working community well. It was also significant that almost all interviewees had a long career with the same employer.
