Current Research

funded by EU 7th Framework People Program, €370k, 2009 – 2012.

Project Leader: Prof. Zahir Irani

Abstract
The research program aims to develop a process model for the measurement of citizen satisfaction index for e-Government services. The aim is achieved by the knowledge exchange program between two academic partners (Brunel University and American University of Beirut.) and one private sector partner (Turk Satellite or TurkSat).

The large bureaucratic public sector structures are often unable to embrace change and are grounded in years of tradition thus, there is not the environment for innovation or established tools to measure satisfaction and this sets benchmarks for performance improvement. As a result, there are research initiatives to develop a citizen satisfaction model (CSM) for eGovernment services. However, existing researches are focusing on the specific CSM and do not suggest a systematic process which can be used for the developed CSM by e-government system managers. In addition, these CSMs have been developed separately in different countries based on their own requirements. Furthermore, the processes used to measure the CSMs in different countries are different from each other and this makes it difficult for the other e-Government stakeholders in different or even the same countries to benefit from their experience.

The aims of the CEES project are to develop a reference process model and a scientific evaluation framework to measure citizen satisfaction on e-Government services. This will be a harmonized and standardized process model which could be used by other e-Government implementers worldwide. The idea is to develop a reference process model for measuring citizen satisfaction on e-Government services and to allow other e-Government stakeholders to use the reference process model and the benchmarking outcomes from the evaluation framework to project inefficient e-Government services for further improvement in their designs. Total 72 researcher-months will be exchanged among the partners to complement their knowledge.

CEES five work packages (144KB PDF)

EPSRC open scheme, £475k, ready to submit.

Project Leader: Prof. Ray Hackney

Abstract
The process of acquiring the highest quality goods and services at the lowest cost demands experience, expertise and managerial excellence. Recent initiatives in this respect relate to the introduction of eReverse Auctions (eRA) where suppliers engage in real-time open competitive bidding for the contract. Following the eRA event the buyer (Local Authority) makes a critical choice in deciding the winning bid. This process is highly dynamic and problematic as it involves a determination of a complex range of factors including perceived quality, guaranteed agreed price and long term trust in the supplier in order to achieve maximum procurement benefits. However, the adoption of intensive competition based supplier selection by eRA is changing the traditional trust based buyer supplier relationships (B-SRs). Recent indications suggest that the success of implementing eRAs is limited, infrequent and fragmented. The aim of this proposal is to enhance the effectiveness of eRAs as a means of Public Sector procurement, through provision of a toolkit that enables simulation and evaluation of scenarios. The intention is to analyse the dynamics of eRA events and to identify choices between procurement strategies. The outcome will be a set of factors which determine the probability for selecting the most appropriate supplier. The objectives that will support the achievement of EeRA are: 1) To formulate a simulation of factors for successful eRAs procurement events; 2) To develop cause-effect models that relate to B-SRs; 3) To develop a portfolio of animation scenarios using system dynamic modelling; and 4) To deliver and evaluate a visual tool to demonstrate the impact of different eRA strategies.

funded by British Telecommunications plc., £4.5k, 2008 June - .

Project Leader: Dr. Habin Lee

Abstract
The impacts of workforce ageing on business organizations are many and various but one of them is the change on the structure of the knowledge assets retained by the workforce. For example, in an ideal workforce population wherein the age profile of the workforce is egg shaped, the transfer of knowledge from older, more experienced workers to younger, less experienced ones is typically mediated by the majority group – the middle-layer of the workforce which has a moderate level of knowledge. The knowledge sharing between different generations occurs via formal (for example, team meetings) and informal (for example, lunching together) interactions. However, the change of the shape of the knowledge layer to an inverted triangle due to the ageing workforce trend means that the middle-layer is less populous than before and the transfer of knowledge through that layer will confront a severe traffic jam. This ‘knowledge jam’ issue is expected to be more serious in the mobile workforce context as workers are expected to work alone and have few opportunities to interact with colleagues face to face due to geographical barriers. As a result, it is vital to extract the work-related knowledge of the aged workers before they retire and digitize it in a knowledge base so that it can be re-used by other (novice) workers after their retirement. However, digitising knowledge in the field is not easy – even when always on mobile devices are carried, frequent impromptu knowledge updates are discouraged by the limited input mechanisms of such devices. As a result, a more sophisticated approach is required to facilitate the creation of knowledge by field workers. Also, due to their mobility, the provision of ‘the right knowledge at the right time’ to field workers is more challenging. This project aims to develop K-board, a system that aims to both provide the right knowledge at the right time to, and encourage the creation of new knowledge by, field workers.

More specifically, this document describes the following:

• A knowledge map for BT field workers;
• A demonstration scenario of K-board;
• The design of K-board for the implementation of the demonstration scenario;
• Implementation of K-board;
• Application of K-board to BT field workers.