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Page ContentsIntroduction WWW and Related Programs Independent Perspective on Telework Telework Conferences and Events Selected Print Sources
Introduction
There is a fast growing and often useful body of print information, electronic support, and counsel for those who wish to develop a mature understanding of the complexities, performance and prospects of this fast developing sector -- and more important no doubt, to advance it via concrete initiatives that make wise use of these technologies and approaches to create good jobs, agreeable communities and to move us all closer to a sustainable way of life. The role of this component of the conference will be to provide information on and links to what the organizers and participants regard as the most useful and interesting of these.
For now, we shall just begin this listing with a first set of references and links as a starting point -- and rather than trying to complete it ourselves (with all the biases and selectivity that this necessarily implies) leave it to the meeting to fill out this frame. We are confident that many good ideas and suggestions will flow in for the participants to complete this spare frame.
(If alternatively you are looking for huge masses of information, you can simply point your favorite browser at the word telework, and it will within seconds yield up several thousand documents, events, groups, etc. who have put this word up front in their sites. Bon appétit! A much more sensible alternative for those seeking more detail is to begin with the key sources indicated below, and move out in concentric circles from there. There is a great deal out there on the topic.)
Telework Europa A similar good handle on the state of play of telework developments in Europe can be had via Telework Europa. This project is also supported by the European Commission as a support action for their Telematics Applications Programme (TAP). Telework Europa is also the unofficial web-site of the Telematics for Urban and Rural Areas (TURA) sector of the TAP, and as such is the central information dissemination point for activities related to the use of telematics in local and regional development. (A particularly striking recent initiative of Telework Europa was a WebCast over the net of a recent EU meeting in Barcelona, demonstrating how these low cost widely available technologies can indeed work to provide some important elements of the usual conference experience.)
The site of the European Community Telework/Telematics Forum (ECTF) is another EU sponsored information initiative, which in this case "promotes teleworking and the exchange and dissemination of information between telework projects and organizations interested in telework. These actions are carried out by means of seminars, conferences and publications."
TAC, the International Teleworking Association, is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the economic, social and environmental benefits of teleworking. Our members share information about the design and implementation of teleworking programs, the development of the U.S. telework sector and research. Hosting Telecommute America! is one of our major activities.
MIRTI (Models of Industrial Relations in Telework Innovation) This on-going EU-funded research project is intended to view telework from the perspective of Europe’s labor unions and their membership. It ahs set out to develop suggestions and guidelines for contractual and regulatory framework of industrial relations, based on actual field experience. The results of this are intended to be useful to companies, workers and public agencies involved in telework projects and programs.
Other Useful Links (to be introduced and explained in due course):
Page of "Telework Links" from EC Information office - http://www.ispo.cec.be/infosoc/telework.html
Back to topconnected: If you wish to explore the key underlying issues in this area where easy ideas and partial (half baked?) information flourish, you will want to take the time to visit this handsome, easy to access specialized e-journal. The sponsor, e-news is incidentally specialized in the organization of events (conferences, festivals, seminars, round table discussions,...), including press relations and on-line communication. Their journal connected "is aimed at developing shared intelligence for networked decision-making – dealing with social and societal aspects of the Information Society including questions of knowledge development, governance, tele-working, tele-learning, new media, Internet-related development issues, and women and the Internet."
Analytica, reachable via , is an independent social and economic research company. Its director, Ursula Huws, is also an Associate Fellow of the Institute for Employment Studies .
Flexibility "aims to inform and stimulate debate about the changing world of work, bringing together research and opinion about innovations in employment practice, organizational development, technological change and public policy." Published for the past 4 years by The Home Office Partnership, UK. A good independent view of the sector and its problems and prospects from a user perspective. Also looks at related social and environmental issues
The Telecommuting Review is a subscription e-journal that provides a North American perspective.
Telework 97, an annual EC-supported event, developed a Web site in support of their September 1997 conference which gives a pretty good picture of how the organizers decided to implement a Web support for their physical meeting. In the organizers own words: "Telework'97 intends to go one step beyond the understanding that telework could be a good way to organize work. The conference emphasizes pragmatic questions such as: How beneficial is teleworking for the organization? How can teleworking be introduced? What is the impact on work conditions and regulations? In which ways can telework improve the individual's quality of life and what are the benefits for the society? Could teleworking in a broad sense even contribute to European and Global economic, social and cultural development and cohesion? What technology is needed and how can telework be stimulated?" Have a look and decide for yourself.
View a comprehensive schedule of international events at the European Telework Development Initiative.
The Information Society and Sustainable Development – To obtain a copy of the special edition of the March 1996 Journal of World Transport Policy and Practice dedicated to a balanced assessment of the prospects for The Information Society and Sustainable Development, contact DG XIII/B of the European Commission by e-mail.. You may find it useful to consult the public ftp 'electronic library' site which has been set up within this forum under the address. (Word of caution: the main author and editor of this report is the organizer of this track.)
The Telefutures report surveys the state of teleworking in Ireland (1995) with recommendations for developing teleworking. By Imogen Bertin of Telework Ireland and Gerard O'Neill of Henley Centre Ireland. A useful read with lots from a daily user perspective.
Telework: Penetration, Potential And Practice In Europe is a report by empirica that "provides a summary of the main findings from the representative case surveys of European decision makers in organizations and the general population, almost 60 telework case studies and an analysis of the conditions for telework in the European countries which serves to considerably enrich the picture of teleworking in Europe today. The book provides the single most comprehensive and up-to-date investigation of telework practice and potential in Europe yet undertaken and provides the most solid foundation yet for the development of policy and practice in this area."
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