Issue 1
Permanent URI for this collection
Browse
Recent Submissions
Item Science, Technology & Innovation Studies Vol. 4, No 1, July 2008(Technische Universität Dortmund, 2008-07) Schulz-Schaeffer, Ingo; Werle, Raymond; Weyer, JohannesItem Balancing Requirements of Decision and Action(Technische Universität Dortmund, 2008-07) Taubert, Niels C.This article deals with decision-making processes about new development aims in Free/Open Source software (FOSS) projects. It focuses on the question how community driven projects manage to not only make decisions but also implement them successfully. Following the approach of Nils Brunsson, the requirements of (rational) decision-making and action are somewhat antagonistic: On the one hand, rationality of decision-making implies extensive evaluation of alternatives and arguments that can lead to an uncertainty as to which of the alternative will be chosen. On the other hand, a good basis for collective action is established when uncertainty is reduced and consistent expectations exist as to what kind of action will be performed. Corroborating on an empirical analysis of a decision-making process and interviews conducted with FOSS developers, three mechanisms of ending a discussion are identified. The paper concludes evaluating to what extent each of these mechanisms serves the requirements for decision-making and action.Item Ethnography of a Paper Strip(Technische Universität Dortmund, 2008-07) Potthast, JörgWhy does air traffic control still rely on paper control strips? Is paper safer? This question has been dealt with before, and responses have pointed out that "paper has helped to shape work practices, and work practices have been designed around the use of paper" (Harper & Sellen 1995: 2). The present contribution tries to further specify these claims. At first, the use of paper as a medium of representation in the course of dealing with critical situations will be discussed. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork carried out in two European Upper Area Control centres, practices linked to the puzzling persistence of the paper strip are then captured along with different types of critical situations. Extending the observation of practices to meso- and macrolevels, it can be shown that paper strips are multiply embedded. They help to stabilise cycles of practices, the permanent reproduction of which is critical to air safety.Item Nanotechnology An Empty Signifier à venir?(Technische Universität Dortmund, 2008-07) Wullweber, JoschaThe aim of this article is twofold: First, I would like to theoretically contribute to Science and Technology Studies, and to Science, Technology and Innovation Studies, respectively, by introducing a hegemony- and discourse-theoretical inspired political economy as an interdisciplinary approach. And second, I shall present some tentative empirical analyses of the policy field of nanotechnology. Nanotechnology is widely perceived as the key technology of the 21st century. As a result, it is becoming increasingly important in many government policies devoted to technology. Nanotechnology is supposedly appealing for many actors, since it is expected to both produce entirely new materials and revolutionize production processes in virtually all industrial branches. Approaching the nano-hype from a discourse-theoretical perspective, I shall show that nanotechnology is not a definite technology, but an empty signifier. This empty signifier provides the basis for an encompassing socio-economic project that is kept together only by the signifier itself. This 'innovation project' creates a link between nanotechnology and the future of the industrialised states. It aims, above others, at their reconstruction along competitive criteria as competition states . Hence, I shall locate nanotechnology policies within a discursive field of political and economic interests and strategies. My theoretical approach highlights the importance of hegemonic struggles for the construction of (political) reality. Hegemonic practices shape the discursive structure, which, in turn provides the strategic-selective conditions for articulation. Accordingly, policymaking can be described as a rather performative process, which uses complex systems of representation to establish a situation of stability and predictability. Hence, the governance of nanotechnology has to be understood as a contradictory battleground, where certain actors try to enforce their interests.Item Un(der)paid Innovators(Technische Universität Dortmund, 2008-07) Kleemann, Frank; Voß, G. Günter; Rieder, KerstinThis paper investigates the phenomena of 'crowdsourcing', or the outsourcing of tasks to the general internet public. This phenomenon was made possible by technological innovations associated with 'Web 2.0' but is evidence of historically significant change in the relations between firms and their customers. We are witnessing the emergence of a new consumer type: the "working consumer". In the conventional role, consumers were passive 'kings' to be waited upon. Consumers now are becoming more like coworkers who take over specific parts of a production process, whereby this process ultimately remains under the control of a commercial enterprise. This article seeks a more precise definition of crowdsourcing, catalogues some of its forms, and differentiates them from peripherally related phenomena. It ends with a discussion regarding potential consequences (negative and positive) of crowdsourcing for the future organization of work.Item Editorial(Technische Universität Dortmund, 2008-07) Schulz-Schaeffer, Ingo; Werle, Raymund; Weyer, Johannes