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The growth of the Swedish Computing and Communicationsindustry is studied in this thesis. Growth is seen as a dynamicprocess moved by the entry, expansion, contraction and exit offirms. The analysis is founded on the theory of the ExperimentallyOrganised Economy, which views the economy as an experimentalprocess. The entire thesis is organised around the problem ofresource allocation and the issue of growth through theintroduction of new combinations into the economic system,using the terminology of Schumpeter (1911). Competence blocsdetermine the efficiency of the economic process, i.e., theextent to which it leads to sustained economic growth ratherthan stagnation. Change is a fundamental feature of theeconomic process, firms have to be flexible to survive and theeconomic system must promote flexibility to grow. Many trials,or experiments, are required to discover and select "winning"firms and technologies. Hence, the turnover (i.e., entry andexit) of firms is supposed to have positive effects on growth.Theory, furthermore, predicts that new and small firms are moreentrepreneurial and innovative and that they, therefore, willgrow faster than old and large firms. The empirical results show that firm growth decreases withfirm age, decreases with firm size, increases with firmindependence, decreases with government ownership and thatindustry growth increases with firm turnover. Moreover, thesmallest firms have been the major job contributors during the1993-1998 period investigated empirically. It is also shownthat employment growth is facilitated by a sustained high entryof firms. Lastly, many policies, several of which were introduced inthe late 1960s and early 1970s, have selectively supportedlarge firms in mature industries. Hence, they have exercised arelatively negative influence on exactly the types of firmsthat have been shown to contribute to growth. These policieshave also made the Swedish economy less flexible. It is arguedthat this partly explains the slow economic growth in Swedencompared to other OECD countries since the 1970s. Aninteresting question is where Sweden would have been today witha different policy orientation. Keywords:The Experimentally Organised Economy;Competence Blocs; Industrial dynamics; Industrialtransformation; Firm age, Small-firm growth; Turnover of firms;Computing and Communications industry; IT industry;Institutions.

The growth of the Swedish Computing and Communicationsindustry is studied in this thesis. Growth is seen as a dynamicprocess moved by the entry, expansion, contraction and exit offirms. The analysis is founded on the theory of the ExperimentallyOrganised Economy, which views the economy as an experimentalprocess. The entire thesis is organised around the problem ofresource allocation and the issue of growth through theintroduction of new combinations into the economic system,using the terminology of Schumpeter (1911). Competence blocsdetermine the efficiency of the economic process, i.e., theextent to which it leads to sustained economic growth ratherthan stagnation. Change is a fundamental feature of theeconomic process, firms have to be flexible to survive and theeconomic system must promote flexibility to grow. Many trials,or experiments, are required to discover and select "winning"firms and technologies. Hence, the turnover (i.e., entry andexit) of firms is supposed to have positive effects on growth.Theory, furthermore, predicts that new and small firms are moreentrepreneurial and innovative and that they, therefore, willgrow faster than old and large firms. The empirical results show that firm growth decreases withfirm age, decreases with firm size, increases with firmindependence, decreases with government ownership and thatindustry growth increases with firm turnover. Moreover, thesmallest firms have been the major job contributors during the1993-1998 period investigated empirically. It is also shownthat employment growth is facilitated by a sustained high entryof firms. Lastly, many policies, several of which were introduced inthe late 1960s and early 1970s, have selectively supportedlarge firms in mature industries. Hence, they have exercised arelatively negative influence on exactly the types of firmsthat have been shown to contribute to growth. These policieshave also made the Swedish economy less flexible. It is arguedthat this partly explains the slow economic growth in Swedencompared to other ...

Preface -- Organization -- Table of Contents -- Using Immersive Simulations to Develop Intercultural Competence -- Cross-Cultural Study on Facial Regions as Cues to Recognize Emotions of Virtual Agents -- Availability of Multilingual Chat Communication in 3D Online Virtual Space -- Capture and Express Behavior Environment ( CEBE) for Realizing Enculturating Human- Agent Interaction -- Hesitation in Intercultural Communication: Some Observations and Analyses on Interpreting Shoulder Shrugging -- A Socio-Cultural Model Based on Empirical Data of Cultural and Social Relationships -- Dynamic Term Suggestion for Searching Multilingual School Documents -- Intercultural Collaboration Support System Using Disaster Safety Map and Machine Translation -- Development of a Multilingual Translation Service for Interpretations and Usage Examples of Mobile Phone Pictograms -- Cultural Computing Ò Creative Power Integrating Culture, Unconsciousness and Software -- Logos, Pathos, and Entertainment -- Digital Conservation of Cultural Assets -- Automatic Knowledge Acquisition from Historical Document Archives: Historiographical Perspective -- Virtual Kyoto Project: Digital Diorama of the Past, Present, and Future of the Historical City of Kyoto -- A Platform for Mining and Visualizing Regional Collective Culture -- A Web Strategy for Cultural Inheritance Centered on Agriculture Case Study Approach: The Olive Project in Shodoshima Japan -- Area Informatics Ò Concept and Status Ò -- Author Index

The use of mobile and wireless Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools in geographically distributed project organizations appears to be an appropriate application of new technical capabilities in an existing business environment. But to successfully introduce and adopt a suitable mobile ICT-based project communication platform in an existing operational setting involves a complex framework of socio-technical issues that have to be considered. This Licentiate thesis presents the results of an ongoing doctoral research project. The study explores the implementation process of mobile computing tools at Sweden's largest construction company, with the aim of improving information management and project communication of production site operations in construction projects. The research project highlights the interdependencies between the creation of usefulness and its resulting benefits. It emphasizes user-oriented implementation as the enabling process for realizing technology fit and user acceptance of the mobile computing tools, as well as achieving long-term benefit and business value of the ICT investment. The studied case specifically addresses the neglected mobile and flexible information needs and communication demands of management staff at construction sites. The fundamental issue is to identify what the usefulness perspective of mobile computing for construction operations consists of relating to both technology and the different groups of people who are supposed to use it. Generic access, mobility of project data and individual adaptation of information and communication resources are technological aspects that are emphasized and discussed in the context of creating usefulness and benefit of mobile computing in construction projects. The often present political dimension of ICT implementation within an organization is also highlighted. The socio-technical introduction and adoption process of mobile computing involves balancing various perspectives and agendas inherent on different ...

Advances in computing in the twenty-first century has shifted the late twentieth century model of computers that act as independent processing machines, back to the more archaic model of terminals that have processing done by a larger, centralized network. This shift has come about because of the growth of Cloud computing, which, for this chapter, will be defined as a model of computing as infrastructure. Whether the drive to Cloud solutions was driven by the limited resources of mobile devices, or the need to collectively share and store data across multiple platforms, or even a desire to offload software itself onto a Cloud system, the result has been the establishment of Cloud computing as an infrastructure akin to electric or telecom utility systems. As a vital infrastructure, issues related to the growth, management, and regulation of "the Cloud" will have many repercussions, some of which librarians have a direct stake in addressing, such as privacy, market changes, dependability, and granularity of service. This chapter will focus on one particular issue: scholarly communication and the openness of information. This will require that we touch on issues related to copyright law and piracy, and how these relate to librarians' professional values of access, democracy, and the Common Good.