Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'ICTs'
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au, J. Green@murdoch edu, and Joanne Helen Green. "ICTs : empowering Western Australian women?" Murdoch University, 2005. http://wwwlib.murdoch.edu.au/adt/browse/view/adt-MU20071114.114223.
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The idea that women are empowered through their learning and use of ICTs (ICTs are defined as computers, the Internet, and e-mail for the purposes of this thesis) has been adopted by international development agencies and the governments of most nations throughout the world. Hence, many agencies and governments have made courses on computers, the Internet, and e-mail available to women with the aim of empowering them.
Empowerment is defined variously and has at its core the social, political, and economic development of women to create equality and challenge patriarchy. Womens empowerment seeks to bring about societal change that will create conditions and structures that foster and maintain gender equality in all facets of life.
This thesis examines the notion of womens empowerment through ICTs. The first section of the thesis uses development and empowerment literature to define, explain, and critique womens empowerment and the conditions under which it is supposed to operate. The second section presents, analyses, and discusses the data collected from a questionnaire answered by some Western Australian women on their experiences of ICTs courses offered by the Western Australian government and their subsequent life changes. The questionnaire was designed to establish whether or not women are empowered to create societal change and challenge patriarchy, as suggested in literature.
The results from the questionnaire show that the majority of the women in the cohort were empowered to the intrapersonal (or micro-) level only. Hence, there was little evidence for the majority of women of the interpersonal (or meso-) level and no evidence of the societal (macro-) level empowerment of the women through ICTs. Therefore, this study does not support the contention that women are empowered through ICTs.
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Rose, Angela Gillian. "ICTs in Education in Africa." Thesis, Malmö högskola, Fakulteten för kultur och samhälle (KS), 2014. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-21849.
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Green, Joanne Helen. "ICTs: empowering Western Australian women?" Thesis, Green, Joanne Helen (2005) ICTs: empowering Western Australian women? PhD thesis, Murdoch University, 2005. https://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/87/.
Full textAbstract:
The idea that women are empowered through their learning and use of ICTs (ICTs are defined as computers, the Internet, and e-mail for the purposes of this thesis) has been adopted by international development agencies and the governments of most nations throughout the world. Hence, many agencies and governments have made courses on computers, the Internet, and e-mail available to women with the aim of empowering them.
Empowerment is defined variously and has at its core the social, political, and economic development of women to create equality and challenge patriarchy. Women's empowerment seeks to bring about societal change that will create conditions and structures that foster and maintain gender equality in all facets of life.
This thesis examines the notion of women's empowerment through ICTs. The first section of the thesis uses development and empowerment literature to define, explain, and critique women's empowerment and the conditions under which it is supposed to operate. The second section presents, analyses, and discusses the data collected from a questionnaire answered by some Western Australian women on their experiences of ICTs courses offered by the Western Australian government and their subsequent life changes. The questionnaire was designed to establish whether or not women are empowered to create societal change and challenge patriarchy, as suggested in literature.
The results from the questionnaire show that the majority of the women in the cohort were empowered to the intrapersonal (or micro-) level only. Hence, there was little evidence for the majority of women of the interpersonal (or meso-) level and no evidence of the societal (macro-) level empowerment of the women through ICTs. Therefore, this study does not support the contention that women are empowered through ICTs.
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Green, Joanne Helen. "ICTs : empowering Western Australian women? /." Green, Joanne Helen (2005) ICTs: empowering Western Australian women? PhD thesis, Murdoch University, 2005. http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/87/.
Full textAbstract:
The idea that women are empowered through their learning and use of ICTs (ICTs are defined as computers, the Internet, and e-mail for the purposes of this thesis) has been adopted by international development agencies and the governments of most nations throughout the world. Hence, many agencies and governments have made courses on computers, the Internet, and e-mail available to women with the aim of empowering them.
Empowerment is defined variously and has at its core the social, political, and economic development of women to create equality and challenge patriarchy. Women's empowerment seeks to bring about societal change that will create conditions and structures that foster and maintain gender equality in all facets of life.
This thesis examines the notion of women's empowerment through ICTs. The first section of the thesis uses development and empowerment literature to define, explain, and critique women's empowerment and the conditions under which it is supposed to operate. The second section presents, analyses, and discusses the data collected from a questionnaire answered by some Western Australian women on their experiences of ICTs courses offered by the Western Australian government and their subsequent life changes. The questionnaire was designed to establish whether or not women are empowered to create societal change and challenge patriarchy, as suggested in literature.
The results from the questionnaire show that the majority of the women in the cohort were empowered to the intrapersonal (or micro-) level only. Hence, there was little evidence for the majority of women of the interpersonal (or meso-) level and no evidence of the societal (macro-) level empowerment of the women through ICTs. Therefore, this study does not support the contention that women are empowered through ICTs.
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Khudair, Ahmad A. "Health sciences libraries : information services and ICTs." Thesis, City University London, 2005. http://openaccess.city.ac.uk/11881/.
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In Saudi Arabia the need is recognised significantly to move towards the concept of an Information Society, particularly for the benefit of the healthcare community. There have been some individual efforts, in this direction but they do not address the problem and related root issues. The problem is that the body and soul are not joined as one to formulate a single entity. The health professional is the body and the soul is the health information professional (health librarians). Health professionals spend a great deal of time in information searching, while the health information professional's role is underestimated. This research is conducted to explore the state of health sciences libraries, and to investigate the strengths and weaknesses of the Information Services and Information, Communication Technology (ICT) in health sciences libraries in the capital city of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh. To accomplish this, a mixed method is used (qualitative and quantitative approaches) to collect related data. A framework is designed particularly for this research and a visionary organisational model is designed initially and developed throughout the research. This proposed model is to introduce a potentially possible successful paradigm for changing the health sciences libraries environment to encounter future challenges. In addition, for this research will contribute to the better understanding of how to provide fast, efficient and easy-to-use service to increase user satisfaction. Changing the paradigm of health sciences libraries in Riyadh will facilitate better access, sharing and use of information resources from distant geographical locations, and increase participation opportunities. In addition, the proposed model considers the human and social needs of communication, and the exchange of feelings and reactions. Importantly, successful change will help healthcare environments to move towards the establishment of a flourishing health information society by popularising the use of electronic resources and demonstrating the benefits and advantages of continuous learning and development programmes. It is clear that access to fast. accurate and reliable health information and resources, may be, the difference between life and death.
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Auzinger-Hotzel, Kathrin Michaela. "Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and Citizenship." ScholarWorks, 2017. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/3334.
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Democracy depends on the civic and political engagement of individuals. Despite a growing body of research analyzing political engagement in the United States, little attention has been paid to the relationship between information and communication technologies (ICTs) and perceptions of citizens concerning civic participation. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between ICTs, perceptions of citizenship, and participatory preferences for 18- to 35-year-olds in the United States. Applying Olson's theory of collective action, the goal of the study was to understand how ICT use influenced changes in perceptions of citizenship between 2004 and 2014. A repeated cross-sectional design, pooling secondary data retrieved from the U.S. General Social Survey database, was used to answer the research questions on the effect of ICT use on perceptions and actions concerning citizenship and participation. The hypotheses were tested using multiple linear regression analysis. Study findings suggested that ICT use had no notable effect on changes in perceptions of citizenship. More specifically, results indicated that changes in perceptions and actions between 2004 and 2014 were not the result of ICTs, despite increasing ICT usage over the period. These findings indicate that ICTs are just tools, rather than agents of change. Acknowledging ICT use as a form of expression permits practitioners to deploy ICTs as tools to support civic engagement. Benefits from leveraging them as tools are likely to accrue individuals, society, and practitioners alike. The resulting implications for positive social change include increased participation as well as the adoption of democratic practices reflective of modern participatory demands and behaviors.
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Walls, Eamonn. "The perceived relation between ICTs and social good." Thesis, University of Southampton, 2017. https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/417986/.
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ICT4D (information and communication technologies for development) is the idea that ICTs have some kind of relation to development. This thesis will present an agnostic and parsimonious approach to development referred to as social good. Social good is the idea that it is possible and desirable to make the world a better place. This thesis will defend the following Conjecture: ‘ICTs often do not contribute to social good.’ A growing body of academic literature has argued the opposite of the thesis Conjecture: that ICTs do actually contribute to development. 3 research questions consider the following: how social good is understood in SGOs, what ICTs are observed in SGO services, and what is the relation between ICTs and social good, as these terms of reference are understood by SGO stakeholders. An ethnography was undertaken with 5 social good organisations in Southampton. Data collection made use of 3 methods (documentation, field notes, interviews), and qualitative data analysis was undertaken using the grounded theory methodology. The findings from the SGO ethnographic grounded theory suggest that SGO stakeholders considered that ICTs can, should, and often do not contribute to social good, as these terms of reference are understood by them. This thesis argues that evidence from the literature, combined with the findings from the SGO ethnographic grounded theory, together present a robust defence of the Conjecture. While the Conjecture is not proved to be true, there are reasonable grounds to doubt that the Conjecture is false.
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Gill, Gerard Andrew. "Social Movements and ICTs: Addressing Complexity and Contingency." Thesis, Curtin University, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/54088.
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It is hard to deny that how Information and Communication Technologies are used by social movements is an issue of great importance. However, it is equally difficult to ascribe meaning to such use - it remains a contested topic within academia and in popular media. In this thesis I develop, demonstrate, and test a unique approach to studying ICT use in social movements which is informed by complexity theory and phronetic social science.
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Nitsche, Lena. "Development 2.0? Participation and ICTs in a network organization." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för informatik och media, 2014. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-226029.
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Participatory communication through Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) has been identified to enhance self-dependency and equality for local communities in development projects. As well, ICTs served as an accelerator for citizen participation in social movements, such as in Egypt. However, it is still questionable how participation and ICTs are understood on a global scale where structural inequalities between developing and developed countries might influence communication processes. Similarly, international organizations often address a global network of stakeholders with various economic and social backgrounds. However, it is unclear how participatory communication and ICTs are used in global organizations aiming to foster sustainable development. Hence, this thesis investigates the understanding and practices of participatory communication and the role of ICTs in a global network organization, the Global Water Partnership (GWP) based in Stockholm. The GWPs network consists of 2964 institutional partners in 172 countries worldwide. It can be seen that the GWP aims to achieve dialogic communication with local partners, but that they do not have a mechanism that ensures continuous participation in all working processes, although the local partners demand more possibilities to contribute and participate. As well, ICTs play a minor role in addressing the GWP network. In fact, most of the partner organizations do not have reliable internet access and insufficient English literacy, which makes communication through ICTs especially challenging.This suggests that globally operating organizations should be careful not to reproduce existing power relationship between developed and developing countries through the use of ICTs. As well, more mechanisms need to be established which ensure more participation in organization’s processes.
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Abd, Rahman Abd Rasid. "Globalisation, ICTs and national identity : the case of Malaysia." Thesis, Loughborough University, 2005. https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/2134/7726.
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For the past thirty years the Malaysian economy has been said to contribute well to the progress of the nations. However, the intensification of global economic activity and the extensive use of ICTs in recent years are challenging government's effort to further develop Malaysian society. The competition posed by the low wage economies such as China and Vietnam have made the government realise the importance of engaging in high-skill and high technology industries. It is hoped this will be the basis of attracting more FDI (foreign direct investment) in order to help the country to compete in a globalised world. Using Vision 2020 as its targeted vision, the government has decided to engage in the use of ICTs and introduce many policies pertaining to it. This thesis is mainly concerned with the study of ICT policy in Malaysia and its consequences for both the economy and society. The investigation focuses on the three dimensions: 'ICTs and economic growth', 'ICTs and inequality' and 'the element of neo-colonialism'. Two approaches are used to achieve the objectives of the study. They are secondary analysis and semi-structured interviews. This thesis is largely dependent on library research and secondary sources such as government official policies and data. Semi-structured interviews are used as a means to support or test some of the arguments and evidence collected throughout the analysis and discussion. For the interviews, three groups of people were identified: policy developers, implementers and evaluators. These people are those involved directly and indirectly with ICT policy establishment and implementation. The findings show that policy pertaining to ICTs in Malaysia contributes to economic growth, but the consequences of this have resulted in greater division within society. Although some of the divisions such as gender and ethnicity are narrowing down, the gap in important areas such as regions and class differences, is becoming wider. The widespread use of ICTs might contribute to the further establishment of democracy in Malaysia, but the increasing number of foreign entities such as FDI and foreign workers, cultural hybridisation and to some extent cultural doniination are contributing to neocolonialism in Malaysia. This has obvious consequences for the government's effort to create a Malaysian national identity. An important finding of this work is that there are contradictions within ICT policy between the effort to develop the economy and society.
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Дегтярьова, Ірина Борисівна, Ирина Борисовна Дегтярева, and Iryna Borysivna Dehtiarova. "The use of ICTs for building innovative knowledge societies." Thesis, Видавництво СумДУ, 2006. http://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/8436.
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Arunachalam, Subbiah. "What can ICTs do? Perpsectives from the developing world." Bohlau-Verlag, Koln, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/106004.
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This chapter is from an invited presentation (15 pages long) given at the Aachen Colloquium on Click - A Split World, November 2004. It has appeared in the book [Gespaltene Welt? Technikzugange in der Wissensgesellschaft, edited by Max Kerner and Thomas Muller, and published by Bohlau Verlag, Koln, 2006] and is the author's final version. Introduction: I am asked to reflect on social and cultural consequences of technical development and try to answer a few questions:
â ¢ In what different kind of ways access to knowledge is modified in an information technology-based society that is dominated by technical resources?
â ¢ Does global exchange of information enable ubiquitous access to knowledge?
â ¢ By which means do information technologies contribute to the solution or intensify global and local problems?
â ¢ Which requirements arise from this problem for an IT-based society?
I shall try to answer these questions from the point of view of a Third Worlder.
Most other speakers at this colloquium are thinkers and experts known for their scholarship and academic achievements. I do not belong to the same league. I am not saying this out of humility; I am making a statement of fact. Then why am I here? Because I have felt the impact of information and communication technologies (ICTs) on the developing world and I have been working for many years to overcome the
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deleterious consequences of ICTs in the context of the poor and the marginalized. I wish to share with you what I have learnt through working in the field.
I am coming from India where we had a major election a few months ago. We are happy about the election for two reasons. One, contrary to what is happening in many parts of the developing world, democracy in India is vibrant and we have been holding free and fair elections consistently for more than 50 years. Two, despite outstanding achievements in the areas of high technology in general and information and communication technologies (ICTs) in particular, the ruling governments in the states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh belonging to two different parties have failed to return to power, largely because the rural poor voted against them. Thanks to rapid developments in indigenous capabilities combined with favorable policies by the governments in these two southern states of India, a number of IT industries and research laboratories â both Indian and multinational â sprung up, mainly in the capital cities Bangalore (referred to as the Silicon Valley of the East) and Hyderabad (half jocularly called Cyberabad). But these developments did not have a perceptible impact on the rural poor, who felt that they were neglected.
What can information and communication technologies (ICTs) do to help the poor? Can they do anything at all? That is a question that dominates the development discourse. If poverty has been so persistent that we could not eliminate it with all our efforts till now, how can the use of ICTs make a difference? Poverty is much more than absence of money. Often generations in poverty lead people to a sense of utter hopelessness and deprive them of their sense of self-respect and dignity. They are deprived of access to essential assets and opportunities such as education, healthcare, employment, land and other natural resources, services, infrastructure and credit. They have little say in their polity and society. They are not empowered to participate in making the decisions that shape their lives. They become increasingly marginalized, excluded and vulnerable to exploitation. This exploitation manifests in several forms such as bonded labour, child labour, inadequate compensation for work if and when they get work, ill treatment and deprivation of basic rights. It will be naïve to believe that we can solve the problem of poverty by providing access to computers and telecommunication to the poor of the world.1
We have always lived in an unequal world, but now the gap between information â havesâ and â have-notsâ is widening fast. As Kofi Annan2 has noted, â there is a real danger that the worldâ s poor will be excluded from the emerging knowledge-based
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global economy.â Virtually every new technology tends to exacerbate the inequalities that separate the rich from the poor.
The last few years have seen many initiatives that deploy ICTs in rural communities in many developing countries. Many world leaders have spoken in glorious terms about the tremendous potential of these new technologies in transforming the lives of the poor. â Technology doesnâ t come after you deal with poverty, but is a tool you use to alleviate poverty,â says James D Wolfensohn, President of the World Bank. Says Mark Malloch Brown, Head of UNDP, â ICTs can help us reach the Millennium Development Goals including the goal of halving poverty by 2015.â
It is mastery over technology that enabled the early adopters of industrial revolution technologies to colonize and exploit the rest of the world. If the developing countries fail to take advantage of the new ICTs, the consequences could be far more serious. If we want technology to work for the poor we must make special efforts. In this talk I will describe from my own personal experience two widely different programmes where we are attempting to bridge the gulf that divides the rich from the poor through innovative use of information and communication technologies.
In the first part of my talk we will look at how we at the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) are trying to harness ICTs as part of a holistic strategy for alleviating poverty in rural India. I will show why the emphasis should be on people and the public commons approach rather than on technology. In the second part, we will look at how the advent of new technologies has opened up the possibility for making knowledge distribution in science and scholarship a level-playing field. Here again the public commons approach is the key to success.
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Gul, Nasreen. "The impact of information communication technologies on the performance of international joint ventures in relation to the communication and culture dynamics." Thesis, University of Salford, 2002. http://usir.salford.ac.uk/14693/.
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This study endeavoured to investigate the effects of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) on the performance of International Joint Ventures (IJVs) by focusing on specific variables known to affect performance i. e. culture (national and corporate) and communication. Given the increasing use of ICTs in business processes this thesis focused on whether the utilisation of ICTs affected the communication and cultural dynamics within IJVs and whether any correlating effect on IJV performance occurred. Three research questions were developed, firstly, how ICTs impacted on communication between IN partners, secondly, how ICTs affected the cultural diversity that exists between partners and thirdly, if the use of ICTs in communication channels had any subsequent effect on IN performance. Research was undertaken using the multiple embedded case study approach allowing data to be linked to theory in an inductive and deductive process. The contextual setting was the European Telecommunications sector since it is a geographical area with an inherent cultural diversity and an industry with a significant number of IJVs. The sample selected focused on five IJVs created between UK and other EU partners during the time period 1995 to 1997. Data was collected primarily through the use of semi-structuredin terviews with directors of eachp arent company. Within and cross case analysis of the results enabled common themes and new ideas to emerge, indicating that the use of ICTs does affect communication channels and is dependent upon the importance of the interaction. Cultural diversity that exists between IJV partners is also affected but at a superficial level, however, results revealed that the use of ICTs does not enhance the performance of IJVs. Results also highlight unexpected findings, that of, two new variables affecting IJV performance which are a unique corporate culture and a common vision for the IJV.
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Ngodwana, Khanyisile. "Experiences of students regarding the use of Facebook for mentoring : a case of a writing centre." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/12884.
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Includes bibliographical references.Over the last 15 years, many South African universities have established Writing Centres as places to provide academic writing support to their students. The services offered are mostly free and voluntary and as such, there are no strict regulations regarding who should use them, and how often they should visit. Consequently, writing centres especially the newly established ones struggle to monitor the progress of the students they have helped once they have left the place, or even reach students in the places where they continue to write in order to offer additional support to students, which could positively influence their writing self-efficacy. This design-based research case study reports on an intervention run by one such writing centre where social media, specifically Facebook due to its popularity among students, was explored as a technology that can be adopted to reach and offer help to students beyond the confines of its physical space.
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Angelopoulou, Zoi. "ICTs and Citizen Participation : An Ethnography in the Municipality Level." Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för informatik (IK), 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-59778.
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This master thesis describes an ethnographic research under the critical paradigm of thoughtin the use of ICTs to support citizen participation in the Municipality level. The purpose ofthe research was to acquire an understanding of the perspective of citizens on the topic andprovide suggestions for the employment of ICTs in citizen participation on the specificcontext. The research setting is located in a neighborhood of a Municipality in Athens, thecapital of Greece. Participants included randomly selected citizens, representatives fromcitizens groups which are active in the neighborhood and a representative of the Municipality.The data gathered in the research was qualitative and the methods were selected andconducted following the participatory design approach in correspondence with theethnographic methodology and critical paradigm. The methods used were interviews, probesand participatory observation. The data gathered pointed at similar concerns expressed by theparticipants mainly towards issues such as ignorance and indifference. Participants also hadthe opportunity to make suggestions on the topic of ICTs and citizen participation, which incombination with the results of a thematic analysis of the qualitative data were used to makesuggestions for future employment of ICTs in the Municipality. Through this directengagement with participants the research also hopes to contribute to the developing Greekdomestic literature on the topic, especially concerning the use of qualitative data.
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Nussbaumer, Doris. "Induction of professional teachers and their constructivist practices with ICTs." Thesis, McGill University, 2008. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=116126.
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This study, through the lens of Activity Theory, focused on the induction and constructivist teaching practices of experienced teachers who were recently hired in a technologically advantaged middle school. Activity Theory was used not only to examine the induction practices but also to focus on constructivist practices with technology. Data sources consisted of using various instruments three of which were used for surveys, 11 interviews were employed to assess goals, and 18 classroom observations were carried out regarding constructivist practices. Findings through Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) analysis revealed under-realized forms of mediation to achieve effective use of ICTs (objective) and the perceptions of collaboration among the teaching staff, specifically with respect to relationships between rules and the division of labor. In effect, this study presents a challenge for CHAT analysis to elaborate the construct of contradictions to include "latent contradictions" which is essential to an expansive learning cycle.
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Faik, Isam. "Modernisation through ICTs : national development, organisational change and epistemological shifts." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2012. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.610652.
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Gagliardone, Iginio. "Development and destabilization : the selective adoption of ICTs in Ethiopia." Thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science (University of London), 2010. http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/2378/.
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This thesis questions and examines the role Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) are playing in the political transitions of developing countries. While there is much discussion about the contribution of ICTs in promoting economic growth and supporting the democratisation process, there is less understanding of the ways in which ICTs are often re-interpreted, re-defined and reshaped to fit political and cultural contexts that are substantially different from those of their origin. Focusing on the case of Ethiopia, I analyze one of these processes of selective adoption, examining which components of ICTs have been endorsed and proactively promoted by the government of Ethiopia, which have been constrained or inhibited, and for what reasons. I build on a conceptual framework that combines critical insights from different forms of constructivism, especially as they have emerged in international relations and in the history of technology tradition. I offer a new approach that reframes ICTs from consensual objects with an agreed set of characteristics and possible effects to nodes surrounded by conflict, which can be appropriated or resisted by different actors to pursue potentially competing goals. This thesis draws on extensive fieldwork and employs a variety of methods that have allowed me to analyse both the discursive and the material elements intervening in the adoption and adaptation of ICTs in Ethiopia. The research progressed through an iterative comparison between conceptualizations emerging from interviews with individuals who shaped the path of ICTs in the country, as well as from other textual material, and observations of how the technical artefacts were actually implemented. This process made it possible to understand how the complex nation building project pursued by the government of Ethiopia motivated the development of two large scale ICT projects, known as Woredanet and Schoolnet, and led to the marginalization of alternative uses of ICTs promoted by other components of society, such as the private sector, Ethiopians in the diaspora and international organizations.
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Elbaghdady, Wafaa. "Organizing and Leading Virtual Teams Through ICTs: A Sociomaterial Perspective." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Informationssystem, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-429381.
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The adoption of advanced Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) is increasing in organizations which is altering organising and leading teams in many ways. Organizations are moving toward adopting more dynamic and global work structures namely virtual teams which mostly rely on ICTs as the main form of communication. The study investigates leaders’ practices and their appropriation of ICTs in virtual teams while applying a sociomaterial perspective which views technology and leaders’ interaction with technology as interlinked. The study employed qualitative approach based on data collected from two blogs run by Toptal which is a fully virtual company with no physical office. Additionally, cross-disciplinary journal articles were collected from Scopus database to perform an iterative content analysis and progressively develop meanings and results. The findings were organized according to two main categories: leaders’ practices and ICTs then analysed according to the five notions entailed in sociomateriality: materiality, inseparability, relationality, performativity and practices, as suggested by Jones (2014). The main contribution of the study was expanding knowledge about leadership practices and technology within virtual teams using a new theoretical lens. The study identified seven main practices of virtual team leaders including managing communication (formal, informal), supporting team technology adaptation, ensuring team alignment with goals, building team motivation, creating shared identity (culture), shaping trust, showing transparency, in addition to other practices like hiring self-motivated workers, managing time zones, encouraging innovation and creativity, leading by example, always being available, ensuring workers wellness and good listening. The study also identified ICTs that are commonly adopted by virtual team leaders such as Slack, email, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Skype and smartphones.
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Wang, Ting. "New Challenges of Organizational Communication: Technology and Organizational Restructuring in the 21st Century." Scholarly Repository, 2008. http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_theses/159.
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The contemporary world challenges many traditional notions about the nature of organizations (Neher, 1997). Today, organizational structures with more complicated communication have appeared, such as "networks" and "virtual organizations." New technology brought about these changes by overcoming limited resources and locations. Without instantaneous computerized communication, complicated global organizations could not exist. The relationship between organizational structures and new technology has been of primary importance for managers designing hierarchical structures. Organizations must continue to meet the challenge of incorporating new technology into their companies. In this study, twenty employees from Fortune 500 companies were selected to participate in pre-questionnaires and telephone interviews. The data was summarized into eleven categories focusing on three research questions: Employee perceptions of reengineering organizations, adoption of new information communication technology, and the relationship between technology and organizational structure. The findings revealed more complicated communication occurring within organizations reflected through the adoption of information communication technology. Although information flow in most organizations remained vertical from top down, upper level managers were able to bypass mid-level managers and communicate directly with employees and vice versa. This showed the emergence of new organizations featuring less hierarchical structures.
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Chipunza, Unity. "An examination of how lecturers' pedagogical beliefs are reflected in their use of ICTs in teaching practice : a case for Africa University EMBA lecturers." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/10249.
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In the study, six lecturers were surveyed to determine their pedagogical beliefs. The findings of the lecturers' beliefs survey indicated that no one lecturer strictly held one belief construct. They instead held a mixture of the beliefs and the distinction was in the actual mix.
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Robinson, Alex James. "ICTs and poverty reduction in rural Java : information, access and markets." Thesis, University of Huddersfield, 2009. http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/9098/.
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Towards the end of the twentieth century there was a furore of activity and interest regarding the potential of information communication technologies (ICTs) to contribute towards a process of development. The growing interest in ICT for development (ICT4D) resulted in a World Summit held over two stages in 2003 and 2005 and a plethora of initiatives and interventions. However to date, the mechanisms and ways in which ICTs may best be applied to development, and in particular poverty reduction, remain unclear. The study described herein contributes to this debate. The study is concerned with the analysis of a single ICT based intervention in rural Java in the Republic of Indonesia; the e-Pabelan telecentre project. The objective of e-Pabelan was to overcome information asymmetries and improve the market participation of poor rural farmers. The objective of this study is to analyse the impacts of this intervention and its underlying conceptual basis. In order to facilitate the research a conceptual framework is presented that draws on Richard Heeks’ (1999b) concept of the information chain and Stuart Plattner’s (1985) concept of equilibrating markets. After Heeks, the conceptual framework emphasises that the assimilation and application of information towards a desired development outcome is a staged process. In order to better contextualise and understand such a process the research presents an analysis of actors, goods and transactions in relation to the market relations of poor farmers after Plattner. The research consists of an extended case study. Two key survey instruments are also employed. One is a survey of 216 poor households and the other is a survey of 70 poor farmers. These survey instruments are employed within a broader research context that utilises participant observation, informal interviews and occasional participatory rural appraisal (PRA) instruments. The research emphasises the importance of contextualisation in seeking to better understand the application of ICT based intervention towards poverty reduction. The research highlights issues of access within ICT4D and challenges approaches that see ICT4D as universally applicable and relevant. Instead, the research demonstrates that the institutional context that ICT4D initiatives are placed into and implemented through can have significant bearings on the perceived utility of the intervention by the intended beneficiaries. The research shows that a failure to engage with local contexts during the establishing of access to ICTs can result in such initiatives being disempowering rather than empowering. The research also questions conceptualisations of poverty within ICT4D that emphasise the widening of opportunities over and above the increasing of security. With regard to markets the research demonstrates that the received view not uncommon within ICT4D literature of the farmer as a passive victim of impersonal markets is flawed. The research shows that the way in which poor farmer in Java manage risk through their selection of differing crops and the manner in which these farmers play the market is central to understanding how ICT4D interventions are assessed in terms of utility and relevance. The research concludes that there is a need for greater engagement between the emerging field of ICT4D and the broader field of development studies. There is also a need to better contextualise and target ICT4D interventions in relation to the specific needs and conditions of the intended beneficiaries. Such an approach requires acknowledging that the adoption and application of information will be subject to a process of continual assessment; rather than seeing assessment as a separate stage within the information chain. In this regard a framework for the analysis of market based ICT4D interventions seeking to impact upon poverty is developed via the research from the original conceptual framework outlined above.
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Agiorgitis, Georgios. "ICTs use in the public Greek Primary Schools: the teachers' experiences." Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för informatik (IK), 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-68717.
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Education is a sector that has the potential to become a critical area of action for the full exploitation of ICT. Educational systems of developed and developing countries have an ever-increasing tendency to apply ICT to education, in an attempt to prepare their students for the future's society. This thesis attempted to explore what kind of ICT is used in the Greek Primary Schools and develop an understanding on the relationship between the ICT and the teachers. The philosophical background is post-phenomenology and the methods chosen for collecting data for this research are policy document analysis and interviews. The empirical findings show that various ICT are being used in the classrooms of the Greek Primary Schools, others widely and others occasionally. The research compares the legal framework revolving around ICT in Primary Schools in Greece, with the teachers' own experiences and shows that the guidelines suggested by the Greek Ministry of Education cannot be followed easily, due to economical and pedagogical reasons. It also investigates the ICT's effects on the teachers and the students through the teachers' own words and perceptions. The effects are mostly positive, there are mentioned however, some negative ones to take into consideration. Finally, the research presents a number of sectors where the participant teachers suggested there is room for improvement. By comparing the legal framework with the situation in the Primary Schools, this research adds a new perspective to the previous literature. The findings show that the current situation can be improved and the teachers' statements may trigger further research.
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Tuwei, David Kiplagat. "ICTS and education: news media portrayal of e-learning in Kenya." Thesis, Kansas State University, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/2097/8845.
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Master of ScienceDepartment of Journalism and Mass Communications
Sam Mwangi
From around the year 2006, the government of Kenya has committed substantial amounts of resources to build Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) around the country and in the education sector in particular, with the sole purpose of catalyzing education. This commitment has emanated from the need to increase access to education to the greater portion of the ever-growing nation’s primary and secondary school population. Some of the pressure to increase education access has also come from regional and international commitments to bodies such as the United Nations through the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) through its e-school initiative. The news media have an important and potentially influential role in the discourse about the use of ICTs in education. While the news media rely on different sources for their news about ICTs and education, including politicians, central government ministers, and interest groups, policymakers, in turn, use the same media as a communication channel to relay their messages on education policy to the general public, education professionals and stakeholders. Having this symbiotic relationship between the media and its source(s) of e-learning news in mind, the purpose of this study is to examine the nature and content of the news media’s interest in e-learning and to begin to ask how it could have influenced public opinion or even the public policy-making process. Content analysis was used to audit news media content comprising 60 news articles taken from two leading online daily newspapers in Kenya. Findings from this study indicate that government officials were the most relied-upon sources of news about e-learning, while the theme of connectivity was the most discussed. The tone of the coverage was largely positive. Understanding the intersection between media coverage and e-learning ultimately enriches our understanding and knowledge of the power of journalists and news outlets in constructing the debate about educational technology. ICTs, with their efficacy in boosting education still being studied, a discussion is provided about the need for media coverage to encompass the viewpoints of all stakeholders in education and adopt a broad conceptualization of ICTs so as to have a balanced debate about ICTs and ICT projects in education.
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Babar, Ayesha, and Carine Kanani. "Monitoring of Vital Signs Parameters with ICTs : A Participatory Design Approach." Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för informatik (IK), 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-97030.
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The development of internet-based technologies, the design and adoption of wireless wearable and smart devices have been a growing study spot in all domains. The healthcare sector as many others is making technological progress to improve healthcare services and patients wellbeing and avoid or minimize the use of manual and traditional practices such as the use of paper notes to record the vital signs parameters data. The vital signs parameters are the most monitored physiology features, they produce a big amount of data and request a close follow up to define the health condition of a patient. Continuous vital signs monitoring involves the usage of different devices and systems, which if appropriate positively impact the activities involved, by enabling the continuous generation of data and information about the overall health status of patients and contribute to the wellbeing of individuals, in terms of preventing and reducing fatal risks. To investigate this situation, this research’s focus was in three parts; first, investigate recent research about patient’s health predictions based on vital signs parameters and the impacts of continuous monitoring on the care given. Second, explore the availability in terms of i.e. sensors used in devices that can continuously track vital signs parameters. Last, to provide a possible design recommendation to improve and/or replace the existing devices for vital signs parameters measuring and monitoring in emergency and post-operative care. A qualitative approach and participatory design approach were used to collect data. The qualitative part was achieved through interviews and the participatory design part was accomplished by the future workshop and two prototyping techniques, paper and digital prototypes. The findings of this research were analysed using conceptual analysis, and also discussed using those concepts. Together with the participants, this research resulted in three design suggestions which if implemented shall improve the vital signs continuous monitoring activities, by facilitating the healthcare professionals in their clinical responsibilities and improving the patients wellbeing while admitted in Emergency and Post-operative wards.
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Head, Cari Beth. "ICTs for Power/Empowerment?: Negotiating Narratives across the Local and Global." Ohio University / OhioLINK, 2012. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1339766971.
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Carpenter, Donna Lyn, and d. carpenter@cqu edu au. "An Exploration of Learning Environments used by students in a first year University course." Central Queensland University. Computing Sciences, 2006. http://library-resources.cqu.edu.au./thesis/adt-QCQU/public/adt-QCQU20070524.132217.
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This research involved the design, development and implementation of an online survey instrument to identify the physical learning environments and resources students use when studying an online course. It was found, through a review of the literature, that there was no appropriate instrument available for this purpose. It was also found that the term physical learning environment actually is not well defined in the literature. These two factors have been addressed in this research.
The results obtained from the survey found that students used a mixture of physical learning resources such as textbooks, and online resources such as email and online submission of assessment items. However, none of these resources were used all the time. It was also established that the majority of students preferred to learn at home using either online or paper-based resource material. The results also showed that the library both as a resource and as a learning environment was not being used to its full potential.
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Okon, Uduak Akpan. "ICTs and sustainable community development in the Niger delta region of Nigeria." Thesis, University of London, 2011. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.537506.
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Norén, Mikael. "Designing for democracy : end-user participation in the construction of political ICTs." Doctoral thesis, Örebro universitet, Humanistiska institutionen, 2008. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:oru:diva-1785.
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The Internet and related Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have been proposed as a way to vitalise (western) political democracy, currently marked by a decline in traditional forms of participation. Even if the Internet has established itself as a potential source of power and social change, the lack of clear results for democracy has left the initially mainly optimistic research community disappointed. Recognising the general lack of innovative ideas and successful examples of how to use technology for democratic purposes in the public sector, this thesis frames the notion of a ‘democratic Internet’ as a design endeavour that involves users of technological applications. The purpose of the thesis is two-fold: 1) to explore the possibility of engaging end-users, citizens and others, in the construction of public sector ICTs; 2) to identify a set of design recommendations for such applications, where promoting democratic participation is a central objective. It employs a qualitative methodology, and theories of participatory democracy, republican citizenship, critical theory, and Human-Computer Interaction, applied in a three-part study dealing with the production and usage of public sector ICTs. Three applications are investigated: a decision support system, a municipality’s external web site, and a central government web portal. Results show that there is a high level of awareness and concern for users and their needs among producers, which is for example reflected in the regular application of user tests. However, user-oriented design work is not always prioritised in terms of resources, formal knowledge, and expertise. Initiatives to promote usability and user-centred development are typically driven by civil servants rather than political directives. Motives for involving users in design have more to do with gaining acceptance for and improving existing solutions than innovation or democratic participation. The kinds of applications citizens participating in the study request to enhance political engagement partly coincide with what is offered by the examined public organisations. Still, it is clear that more remains to be done in terms of providing information, and even more so making public institutions open and receptive to the citizenry. Citizens, among other things, ask for accessible information on political institutions and actors, and dialogic uses of technology. Design considerations include the need to account for the fact that citizens-as-users represent diverse needs, recognise that levels of political and technological knowledge vary, enhance opportunities for exchange and mutual learning between citizens and public representatives, and aim for flexible solutions that can incorporate additional and changing needs over time. In general, participants gave proof of a critical distance to technology as well as an ability to contribute as both innovators and evaluators in a design process. A broad contextual approach to shed light on everyday political and technological practices, as applied in this study, is useful for exploring the needs users have regarding ICTs. However, future research has the task of investigating methods to facilitate creativity as well as citizen representation in public sector design work. Civil servants and representatives, using a decision support system in municipal planning and decision-making, are largely satisfied in terms of operation and structure of the application. However, timelier data delivery and other types of contents, for example opinion data on citizens, are requested. Wishes of this kind may not be easy to satisfy because of prevailing institutional and organisational priorities. The same is true when it comes to the employment of statistical data in municipal decision-making, which is not always well received by political actors. Design recommendations include taking closer heed of local municipal needs and non-expert users. It is also recommended that initiators and producers of decision support technology promote a pragmatic view of statistical data to increase its acceptance.
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Chae, Suk Jin. "Negotiating precarious lives : young women, work, and ICTs in neoliberal South Korea." Thesis, University of Sussex, 2016. http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/61329/.
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This thesis investigates the link between the precarious lives of underemployed young Korean women in the post IMF crisis and their use of digital media. It draws on precarity and immaterial labour, key concepts in studies on new forms of labour and life in neoliberal, post industrial society. The thesis contributes to this field of research in two main aspects. Firstly, moving away from an ahistorical, Eurocentric, and androcentric tendency, through ethnographic fieldwork, it reveals the particular gendered nature of precarity historically formed in a particular geographical site, South Korea. Secondly, it links the two concepts, which are closely related theoretically but located in different fields. It demonstrates how precarity is a condition leading to individuals taking up forms of immaterial labour in an attempt to manage their precariousness. The research underpinning this argument consisted of a year of ethnographic fieldwork in Seoul, investigating young women's life stories, work trajectories and, following media anthropologists, use of digital media as part of their communicative ecology. The thesis shows how fifteen underemployed young women with different education levels and social backgrounds negotiated precarity, producing various ways of living: lives encircled to an extreme level of social withdrawal; lives juggling with various part-time jobs; lives stuck in permanent training; lives protesting on the street. Their respective modes of underemployment meant that they experienced personal isolation, frustration, and fear of people, forming a strong desire to be ‘normal' in society. Their digital media use was deeply integral to attempts to become normal in everyday life. In this respect, I argue that precarity is a condition to form a vast amount of ‘free labour' workforce for the digital economy.
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Norén, Mikael. "Designing for democracy : end-user participation in the construction of political ICTs /." Örebro : Örebro universitet, 2008. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:oru:diva-1785.
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Panova, Tayana. "How ICTs can influence psychological wellbeing: an analysis of uses and addiction potential." Doctoral thesis, Universitat Ramon Llull, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/668745.
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Les Tecnologies de la Informació i les Comunicacions (TIC) com Internet i els telèfons
intel·ligents van entrar a la nostra vida fa només uns 20 anys, però, en aquest curt període de temps, han reconvertit profundament el funcionament de la societat i dels individus de tot el món. Això ha portat a preguntes i investigacions sobre com l’ús freqüent de la tecnologia influeix en la nostra salut social i psicològica. Aquest treball de tesi vol aportar informació sobre aquest tema a través de quatre estudis sobre tres de les TIC més populars - telèfons intel·ligents, xarxes socials en línia i Internet- i mitjançant la lent de tres preguntes d’investigació - 1) La addicció és el marc adequat per utilitzar a l’hora de investigar. ús problemàtic de les TIC?; 2) Quins són els efectes
de la cultura en un ús problemàtic de les TIC?; i 3. Quins usos concrets s’associen a problemes relacionats amb les TIC? Les conclusions a què arribem són les següents. En aquest moment, l’addicció no és un terme adequat per utilitzar-se en la investigació sobre problemes relacionats amb les TIC. En segon lloc, certs usos específics s’associen a conseqüències problemàtiques de l’ús de les TIC, mentre que altres usos no ho són, per tant no és prudent patologitzar totes les TIC. En tercer lloc, els usos associats a un ús problemàtic són diferents segons la cultura de l’usuari. En una cultura, un ús particular de les TIC pot ser problemàtic, mentre que en un altre país pot ser adaptatiu. En quart lloc, alguns aspectes de l’ús de les TIC semblen ser més o menys constants en cultures com ara els usos més populars dels telèfons intel·ligents i els factors subjacents de l’ús problemàtic de les TIC.Las Tecnologías de Información y Comunicación (TIC) como Internet y los teléfonos inteligentes entraron en nuestras vidas hace solo 20 años, pero en este corto periodo de tiempo han rediseñado profundamente la forma en que funcionan la sociedad y las personas en todo el mundo. Esto ha llevado a preguntas y investigaciones sobre cómo el uso frecuente de las tecnologías influye en nuestra salud social y psicológica. El objetivo de este trabajo de tesis es aportar información sobre este tema a través de cuatro estudios sobre tres de las TIC más populares: teléfonos inteligentes, redes sociales en línea y Internet y a través de la lente de tres preguntas de investigación: 1) ¿Es la adicción el marco correcto para usar en las investigaciones del uso problemático de las TIC?; 2) ¿Cuáles son los efectos de la cultura en el uso problemático de las TIC?; y 3) ¿Qué usos específicos están asociados con los problemas relacionados con las TIC? Las conclusiones a las que llegamos son las siguientes. En este momento, la adicción no es un término adecuado para usar en la investigación sobre problemas relacionados con las TIC. En segundo lugar, ciertos usos específicos están asociados con consecuencias problemáticas del uso de las TIC, mientras que otros usos no lo son, por lo tanto, no es prudente patologizar la totalidad de las TIC. En tercer lugar, los usos asociados con el uso problemático de las TIC son diferentes según la cultura del usuario. En una cultura, un uso particular de las TIC puede ser problemático, mientras que en otro país puede ser adaptativo. En cuarto lugar, ciertos aspectos del uso de las TIC parecen ser más o menos constantes en todas las culturas, como los usos más populares de los smartphones y los factores subyacentes del uso problemático de las TIC.
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) such as the Internet and smartphones entered our lives only about 20 years ago, yet in that short time they have deeply rewired the way society and individuals all around the world function. This has led to questions and investigations regarding how the frequent use of technology influences our societal and psychological health. This thesis work aims to contribute some insight on this subject through four research papers about three of the most popular ICTs - smartphones, social media and the Internet and through the lens of three research questions - 1) Is addiction the correct framework to use when researching problematic ICT use?; 2) What are the effects of culture on problematic ICT use?; and 3) What specific uses are associated with ICT-related problems? The conclusions we arrive at are the following. At this time, addiction is not a suitable term to use in the research on ICT related problems. Secondly, certain specific uses are associated with problematic consequences of ICT use whereas other uses are not, therefore it is unwise to pathologize the entire ICT. Thirdly, the uses that are associated with problematic ICT use are different depending on the culture of the user. In one culture a particular ICT use can be problematic, whereas in another country it may be adaptive. Fourthly, certain aspects of ICT use appear to be more or less constant across cultures such as the most popular smartphone uses and the underlying factors of problematic ICT use.
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Chiotis, Thomas. "Farmers, Intermediaries and ICTs in an Agricultural Community in Greece- an ethnographic study." Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för informatik (IK), 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-66837.
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The purpose of this thesis is to assess the implications of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) on the agricultural supply chain in Greece by examining the relationships between farmers and their intermediaries, and their interactions during the buying and selling process. More specifically, the focus of the research takes place in Pouri, a small village in central Greece whose economy centers around Apple Farming, where we can observe the exchange of locally grown goods between farmers and intermediaries. The thesis consists of two parts; the first part examines how Greek farmers perceive the process of buying and selling agricultural products and how they respond to problems within their current structure; through observing processes, conducting interviews and collecting narrative stories to identify the issues, we assess whether it would be advantageous for farmers to implement ICTs as part of the solution. The second part consists of a review of the academic literature to examine the same or similar situations in the agricultural supply chain of other global regions and their economic contexts. Lastly, a thorough thematic analysis of the research data provides a better understanding of the issues facing farmers and their needs as they pertain to ICTs, to improve the agricultural supply chain and the entire rural sector.
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Rognan, Camilla. "Living Transnational Lives: Investigating the Role of ICTs in Transnational Migrants’ Identity Formation." Thesis, Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet, Geografisk institutt, 2013. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:no:ntnu:diva-22917.
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In a globalized world, the recent developments in information and communication technologies (ICTs) and transportation have facilitated international migration in ways that have led to great increases in this type of migration over the last decades. In the host country migrants are influenced by new cultural impulses that are different from the ones in their homeland. Over time, these may be incorporated into the migrants’ cultural identities and as time passes, the migrants may start to identify with more and more aspects of the host culture, creating a belonging to the new country. By adopting a transnational lens, the objective of this thesis is to examine how transnational migrants’ cultural identity is challenged, negotiated and formed through the use of modern ICTs that allow for frequent communication with homeland relations. This was done by investigating the role of ICTs in the migrants’ practices of ways of being in and ways of belonging to transnational social fields and the research questions that have been discussed and answered are as follows: 1)What is the role of transnational communication networks and technologies in identity formation? Can gender differences be identified? 2)Can today’s extensive use of information and communication technologies show that migrants maintain more of their ‘old’ identities? Are identities gendered? It is found that ICTs play a large role in the identity formation of transnational migrants and that migrants who live transnational lives constantly (re)negotiate and form transnational identities in relation to their respective social fields. In addition, analyses show that ICTs available today facilitate both practices of ways of being (transnational communication) and ways of belonging (identity-conscious practices) in transnational social fields, and may indeed contribute to the maintenance of more of migrants’ ‘old’ identities. The migrants are anchored in both transnational social fields and are rational actors that actively choose what to keep of their old and new identities through a constant (re)negotiation of their identities. Both analyses show that migrants’ identities are gendered and this, in combination with the constant reworking of identities, show that the migrants are reflexive life planners.
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Lugo-Ocando, Jairo. "Democracy, development and ICTs : a cross-national study of the UK and Venezuela." Thesis, University of Sussex, 2006. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.430959.
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Harwood, Stephen A. "Domestication of ICTs : the case of the online practices of Scottish serviced accommodation." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/8737.
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The new possibilities offered by information & communication technologies (ICTs) within the work-place and elsewhere have attracted wide attention by economic and social actors. One outcome is the institutional ‘push’ for all businesses to embrace these technologies and ‘get online’. However, it is evident that take-up amongst businesses has been highly uneven with some cautious in their adoption and, thus, many have not fully exploited the possibilities offered. To understand this variety in the adoption and use of online technologies (which in some cases includes their nonadoption and non-use) it is necessary to examine practices and establish underlying dynamics surrounding new forms of ICTs. This thesis will investigate the practices associated with the adoption and use of ICTs in the hotel industry. Three basic questions are addressed. The first relates the online practices of hoteliers, including the use of online intermediary services, the nature of uptake and the implications for both practices and relations with customers. The second relates to any externalities which condition a hotelier’s practices. The third is concerned with how to conceptual explain observations – findings. Investigation of these questions has resulted in an empirically rich study. This has involved a multi-method approach that allows online practices to be viewed through different lenses and from an adapted Social Shaping of Technology perspective. The population of Scottish serviced accommodation providers was compiled and used to determine the uptake of online practice. Interviews revealed specific practices. Published material provided insight into contextual issues, particularly those relating to institutional developments. The research shows that there were three principle strategies for the adoption of the new technologies. First, they were embedded by the users themselves (‘internalisation’) – often through much effort and processes of configuration – into their ‘busy day’. The process of ‘learning’ (or learning by trying) was found to be an integral feature of uptake. Secondly, some users opted for an alternative solution where, rather than design their own website, they adopted the offerings of online intermediaries (such as online booking facilities) (‘intermediation’). However, the appropriation of online intermediation was found to be both costly and fraught with new kinds of risks (e.g. double bookings) and uncertainty (e.g. no guarantees of bookings). Thirdly, a further option (‘localisation’) was for local groups of hoteliers to collectively produce an online presence that promotes the locality and thereby indirectly provides benefits to their businesses. The analysis was performed using a modified version of Silverstone’s (1992) ‘domestication’ framework. However, ‘localisation’ questioned the assumptions underpinning ‘domestication’, suggesting the need for a more sophisticated analytical device, such as offered by the metaphor of ‘tailoring’. It is concluded that the apparently deterministic institutional view of the benefit of online technologies and the imperative that they are fully exploited to give competitive advantage, can be at odds with the locally contingent and diverse nature of online practices. The research found that the new online practices did not entirely replace traditional ones, but emerged as complementary to them.
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Ruhode, Estery. "ICTS for empowering women in SMEs in the Cape Metropolitan area, Western Cape." Thesis, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11838/1774.
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Thesis (MTech( Business Information))-- Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2011Women, being important stakeholders of the community, are lagging behind in terms of economic empowerment. Their opportunity to participate actively in business in the past was hindered by various discriminatory policies that were in place. ICTs have the forte to empower and increase the knowledge base of the women in SMEs through information dissemination. The argument is that women in South Africa and indeed in many other developing countries have not embraced technology in their everyday businesses as much as their male counterparts. This study therefore explores how women in SMEs in the Cape Metropolitan, Western Cape are utilising ICTs to empower themselves to overcome the economic discrimination they have suffered in the past.In order to collect relevant data and obtain deep insights about the utilisation of ICTs by women in SMEs, a qualitative research method was applied enabling respondents to articulate their experiences concerning the use of ICTs in their businesses. Women of all races were selected using the snowball sampling method and were interviewed. The population involved women in SMEs from the five suburbs of Claremont, Rondebosch, Gardens, Pinelands and Mowbray.The findings of the study are that women in SMEs in the Cape Metropole are utilising various ICTs to empower themselves in their businesses. They are exchanging business documentation with other business resulting in marketing of their entities. Women in SMEs are taking advantage of the fast growing social and business networking technologies such Facebook, LinkedIn, Flickr, Twitter, Skype and blogs to promote marketing of their various products and services, gaining mileage in publicity and also managing their expenditures.ICTs enable women to work anytime, anywhere affording them the opportunity to take care of their families which they could not do while they were employed in the corporate world. Some of the women in SMEs reported that they can now independently negotiate business deals due to increase in their self-esteem and also have access to available information in their areas of expertise.
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Hiller, David Benjamin. "Constructing internet access : the emergence and use of ICTs in new social spaces." Thesis, Goldsmiths College (University of London), 2006. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.539858.
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This thesis examines the introduction of new Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) into new social spaces. These new social spaces have been called the 'middle ground' (MG). They are found not in the workplace nor in the home but are located elsewhere in community centres, libraries and Internet cafes. The MG is used for education, communication and information retrieval. This thesis draws upon two case studies to explore the institutional, sociological and cultural development and use of such MG spaces. Theoretically, this thesis draws upon the Sociology of Science & Technology. specifically Actor Network Theory (ANT). According to ANT, to understand just how a technology becomes (or fails to become) a success we must follow and observe various innovators as they attempt to enrol others into their 'networks'. The utility of ANT is twofold. Firstly, it enables me to study 'innovation' and secondly to move beyond overarching general notions (such as technological determinism) to understand the complex ways new ICTs are being utilised in the 'middle ground'. The first case study examines the development of a 'virtual university' project 'Televersity'. Here I examine the relationship that develops between the key actors involved with the project, the strategic co-operation between the actors and the use of representations of the Local Learning Centres (LLCs) and identity of the users. The second case study examines the establishment and use of an Internet cafe. I explore the representational resources that the founders utilise in their attempts to stabilise the identity of the Internet cafe and its users. I then proceed to compare these with accounts of use, derived through a series of interviews with (and observations of) the users. The thesis thus aims to illuminate the heterogeneous and complex nature of the MG and the cooperation and flexibility needed at a policy level for such places to be sustained. Furthermore, by using an approach like ANT, we can begin to understand the micro-lev el shaping of the MG and the relation between these local processes and the wider dynamics within which they are embedded.
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Calbreath, Katy Anne. "Networked ICTs and international development a case study of technology diffusion in Kenya /." CONNECT TO ELECTRONIC THESIS, 2008. http://dspace.wrlc.org/handle/1961/4550.
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Chandra, Smita, and Vivek Patkar. "ICTS: A catalyst for enriching the learning process and library services in India." Elsevier, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/106060.
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The advances in ICTs have decisively changed the library and learning environment. On the one hand, ICTs have enhanced the variety and accessibility to library collections and services to break the barriers of location and time. On the other, the e-Learning has emerged as an additional medium for imparting education in many disciplines to overcome the constraint of physical capacity associated with the traditional classroom methods. For a vast developing country like India, this provides an immense opportunity to provide even higher education to remote places besides extending the library services through networking. Thanks to the recent initiatives by the public and private institutions in this direction, a few web-based instruction courses are now running in the country. This paper reviews different aspects of e-Learning and emerging learning landscapes. It further presents the
library scene and new opportunities for its participation in the e-Learning process. How these ICTs driven advances can contribute to the comprehensive learning process in India is highlighted.
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Evanshen, Pamela, and Kimberly Hale. "Sustainably Transforming Learning and Teaching Through Using Icts Venue: What Is Good Practice?" Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2013. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/4349.
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Li, Jiayan Emma, and 李嘉彦. "Economic evaluations of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for chronic disease management: asystematic review." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2010. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B45173072.
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Orjuela-Laverde, Maria. "Understanding Colombian teachers' use of ICTs as instructional tools from a social cognitive perspective." Thesis, McGill University, 2014. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=123147.
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This study examines Colombian teachers' use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) as teaching and learning tools from a social cognitive perspective. Personal and environmental factors were studied in order to understand what predicts the use of computers and the Internet within the population of Colombian teachers. The variables used as predictors for use of ICTs were chosen following Ertmer's (2005) description of first—and second—order (internal and external) barriers for technology integration, as well as Becker and Riel's (2000) categorization of teachers' professional engagement levels. These variables are self-efficacy beliefs regarding technology use for pedagogical purposes, beliefs about the perceived value of computers for instructional purposes, professional engagement, demographic and contextual variables (e.g. age, gender, grade level, discipline). Use of ICTs was categorized following types of uses proposed by Bebell et al. (2004) in the USEit project. The types of ICT uses introduced in the present study are Grading, Planning, Students Use (advanced use and routine use), Professional Communication and Delivering Instruction. Participants included 241 school teachers who responded to an online survey consisting of 32 questions. The results of the study suggest the importance of teacher leadership, measured here through variable professional engagement as well as teachers' self-efficacy in the process of adopting ICTs for pedagogical purposes. Surprisingly, beliefs about the perceived value of computers for instructional purposes did not predict, as hypothesized, teachers' use of ICTs. In line with previous studies, this research found that Colombian teachers use ICTs more for administrative tasks than for teaching and learning purposes. Most demographic and contextual variables were not predictors of use of ICTs.The findings of this study inform the design of interventions to improve Colombian teachers' use of ICTs as teaching and learning tools. This study also contributes to knowledge by exploring teachers' self-efficacy and beliefs from the perspective of professional engagement.Cette étude examine comment les enseignants colombiens utilisent les Technologies de l'Information et de la Communication (TICs) comme instruments d'appui à l'apprentissage d'une perspective sociocognitive. La recherche s'est portée sur les caractéristiques personnelles et les facteurs liés à l'environnement qui peuvent permettre de comprendre ce qui influence l'utilisation des ordinateurs par les enseignants colombiens. Les variables utilisées comme prédicteurs de l'utilisation des TICs ont été choisies en relation aux barrières de premier et second ordre (internes et externes) à l'intégration des technologies identifiées par Ertmer (2005), ainsi qu'à la classification des niveaux d'engagement professionnel des enseignants développée par Becker et Riel (2000). Ces variables sont l'auto-efficacité par rapport à l'utilisation des technologies, les croyances par rapport à la valeur des ordinateurs, l'engagement professionnel, et les variables démographiques et contextuelles (âge, sexe, niveau de la classe enseignée, matière).Les différentes catégories d'utilisation des TICs sont celles proposées par Bebell et al. (2004) dans le projet USEit, à savoir l'Administration des Notes, la Planification, l'Utilisation par les Etudiants (usage avancé et usage routinier), la Communication Professionnelle, et l'Enseignement. 241 professeurs ont participé à une enquête par Internet comportant 32 questions. Les résultats de l'étude soulignent l'importance des caractéristiques de leadership des enseignants, mesurées ici par la variable d'engagement professionnel ainsi que l'auto-efficacité dans le processus d'adoption des TICs à des fins pédagogiques. Un des éléments surprenants dans les résultats fut l'observation que les croyances sur la valeur attendue de l'utilisation des ordinateurs ne sont pas corrélées avec l'utilisation des TICS par les enseignants. En accord avec les résultats des études précédentes sur ce sujet, cette étude a trouvé que les enseignants colombiens utilisent les TICs plus pour des tâches administratives que pour améliorer l'apprentissage des élèves. La plupart des variables démographiques et contextuelles n'ont pas d'influence sur l'utilisation des TICs. Les résultats de cette étude peuvent servir à orienter la conception d'interventions pour améliorer l'utilisation des TICs à des fins pédagogiques par les enseignants colombiens. Cette étude contribue aussi à une meilleure compréhension de l'auto-efficacité des enseignants par rapport à leur engagement professionnel.
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Matsiko, Andrew [Verfasser]. "Local Taxes and ICTs in Uganda : Good Governance by Participation and Transparency? / Andrew Matsiko." Baden-Baden : Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, 2020. http://d-nb.info/1225182379/34.
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Liu, Wei. "ICTs and organisational control across cultures : the case of UK multinationals operating in China." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2004. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.626851.
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Today, the growing power of multinational enterprises (MNEs) and the ongoing evolution of information and communication technologies (ICTs) are two important forces in the process of globalisation (Beck 2000). ICTs are regarded as one control revolution driver (Beringer 1986) and used by MNEs to control their subsidiaries (Finnegan and Longaigh 2002). There have been few studies looking at ICTs within MNEs (Torre and Moxon 2001) and their global and social aspects. In the past decades, IS researchers have recognised the impact of cultural differences on the use and development of ICTs. But many of them apply Hofstede's (1980) national culture model that is simplistic and systematic as argued by Avison and Myers (1995), who call for the contemporary anthropological view of culture. This thesis considers how the head offices of UK multinationals use ICTs and other mechanisms such as financial reporting systems, expatriates and face-to-face contacts to control their subsidiaries and joint ventures (JVs) in China across time and space in the context of globalisation. Giddens's theory ofmodemity (1990, 1991) and an anthropological view of culture (Westrup et al. 2004) are identified as main theoretical resources and insights to analyse and interpret the qualitative data collected from three UK manufacturing MNEs. As one type of disembedding mechanisms or expert systems (Giddens 1990, 1991), ICTs are mainly implicated in changing time-space configurations (such as speeding up information and communication transfer); facilitating the displacement oflocal activities; and formalising and standardising business processes and information transfer. Therefore, the head offices of the three UK MNEs can use ICTs and other expert systems as panoptic and disciplinary mechanisms to indirectly and impersonally monitor, check and predict the activities of their JV s and subsidiaries in China. On the other hand, the seemingly 'closeness' through ICTs 'filters out' or misrepresents much oflocal culture and knowledge that occur in different local contexts. ICT -mediated spaces are not rootless and boundless in these cases. ICTs specialise in producing and transferring standardised, disembedded or decontextualised information and consequently bind social interaction and human interpretation. Control based on the information is not rational and transparent, but contested between the global (e.g. ICTs) and the local (e.g. local management). leTs themselves do not automatically possess the panoptic and disciplinary power. Instead, human interpretations through continuous face-to-face contacts at places are vital in understanding the disembedded information through leTs and reducing the information's abstractness and decontexualisation. Human interpretation and action are also essential in (re) interpreting and (re) producing cultural processes in terms of cultural conflict and contradiction, dynamics, heterogeneity and similarities within networks of resources such as leTs, place and leadership. Organisational cultural values are not simply national, traditional, shared and memories traced in people's minds and do not determine their behaviour. Therefore leT -related cultural values cannot completely dominate and define organisational members' thinking and action and produce stable and predictable organisational control.
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Maiye, Ariyo. "ICTs and development : a capability perspective of Nigeria's experience with the National Identity Project." Thesis, Brunel University, 2012. http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/7500.
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This study is about the impact of information and communications technologies (ICT) in developing countries, in light of development expectations in healthcare, education, commerce, government services, and other activities that can improve the lives of citizens. However, the deployment of these ICTs have not always resulted in the anticipated ends i.e. development outcomes. Also, expectations and deployment experiences vary amongst developing countries - indicating a need to understand what is locally relevant, meaningful and achievable within development initiatives. These ideas are explored within this study, with intent to contribute to a better understanding of the dynamics of ICTs and Development. The study is particularly concerned with the current efforts at deploying a National Identity system in Nigeria, in light of failed attempts over the past 34 years. This is an essential initiative due to the lack of a secure, reliable, or cost effective system of identification within the country (e.g. international passports and drivers’ licenses). The case is explored using Sen’s Capability Approach (CA) to development, which advocates the expansion of people’s freedoms (and opportunities) to engage in valued activities that improve lives. The unique application of the CA for a comprehensive study of the deployment and outcomes of the National Identity system constitutes a theoretical contribution (amongst others) to research - in light of previous applications which only evaluate the latter. Also, the findings reveal deep seated socio-cultural issues (such as corruption and tribalism) as sources of commonly reported technical and managerial problems within IS projects. These offer useful insights and advice for both policy makers and practitioners involved with the ICTs and Development agenda.
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Jacobs, Carl. "Adapting and responding to ICTs - a study of two municipalities in rural South Africa." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/20478.
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The post - apartheid restructuring of South Africa's water sector has left the responsibility of planning, access and provision of water with local government. Local municipalities, which lack the " financial and human resources to deliver on their constitutional and legal mandate and on citizen expectations" (Department of Co - operative Governance and Traditional Affairs [CoGTA] , 2009) , constitute 71% of South Africa's local government . This means that a large proportion of South Africa's local government does not possess sufficient capacity to fulfil their legal responsibilities. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and the potential for improved capacity they provide is not a new concept, especially to the fields of education, health and governance. For instance, South Africa's Local Government Association (SALGA) developed a guide and roadmap f or successful ICT governance in local municipalities. They recognised the importance of aligning governance and ICTs to improve the role of local municipalities , and while many examples of ICTs successfully improving capacity do exist , there are also many other examples where they failed to do so Literature identifies the reasons for failure and suggests ways to address them so that ICTs have the maximum possible impact on improving capacity , however , many ICTs still fail, especially in developing contexts. This is because most studies in the field of ICTs focus on the impact they have on capacity and not vice versa. Not many studies research the impact that existing capacities have on ICTs, and especially not when the ICTs have already been designed to overcome those challenges usually associated with failure in developing contexts. In view of this, the purpose of this study was to assess what impact rural local municipalities ' existing conditions and capacities have on the implementation and use of ICT s and hence the change in capacity ICTs seek to bring about in the first instance . Additionally, the study assessed whether ICTs bring about any measurable change in low - capacity environments. Two local municipalities in rural Eastern Cape of South Africa , which were looking to improve their capacities to resolve issues of water and sanitation service delivery and maintain customer relations , were identified as the study sites. An ICT system, which sought to address and improve upon the challenges associated with each municipality's customer relations and management of complaints, was co - designed and implemented using best practices, so as to overcome the challenges usually associated with ICT failure in developing contexts. Using the Adaptive Capacity Wheel (Gupta, Termeer, Klostermann, Meijerink, Van den Brink, Jong, Nooteboom, & Bergsma, 2010) , a comprehensive comparative analysis between the pre - and post - ICT implementation capacities of each municipality was undertaken ( both to resolve issues of water and sanitation service delivery , maintain customer relations , and to adapt and respond to the change the ICT system sought to bring about ) . The results showed that the existing conditions and capacities of each municipality did impact the implementation and use of the ICT system. Despite the ICT system being co - designed with the municipalities and their communities to best suit their current conditions, financial and human resource challenges still resulted in each municipality adapting the use of the system to their particular environment. While the adaptations in use benefitted the municipalities, by improving their complaints management and resolution, it negated any benefits the system offered citizens and, as a result, impacted customer relations negatively. The results also showed that ICTs do result in measurable change in low - capacity environments. They are not always the changes expected or designed for, but can, from certain perspectives, end up being the most important. Overall, it is hoped that this study contributes to the discourse of ICT4D implementations in low - capacity environments in relation to the assumption that ICTs inevitably improve capacity. It also highlights the importance of an ongoing debate to rethink the various definitions of ICT for development
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Herzogenrath-Amelung, Heidrun Sieglinde. "Grounding a critique of ICTs in Heidegger's philosophy of technology : time to start thinking." Thesis, University of Leeds, 2014. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/8661/.
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This thesis offers an account of information and communication technologies (ICTs) that draws on the philosophy of Martin Heidegger. It argues that Heidegger’s ontological approach presents a welcome antidote to reductionist accounts of the “revolutionary” nature of these technologies that pervade much mainstream commentary. It considers Heidegger’s inquiry into technology within the context of his wider inquiry into the ‘meaning of Being’, resulting in a range of valuable insights into the realities of our technological environment, how we engage with it, and ultimately into what consequences this engagement might have for our Being-in-the-world. Drawing on the conceptual framework developed by Heidegger it offers a critical theoretical account outside the bounds of Critical Theory approaches to ICTs that seeks dialogue with these positions. It seeks to encourage the opening up of a field that has closed itself off, for reasons that are explored in this thesis, to engaging with the valuable insights Heidegger can offer for understanding phenomena such as the ubiquity of contemporary surveillance and the exploitation of labour in the global digital economy.
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Davis, Susan Elizabeth. "ICTs for creative practice in drama : creating cyberdrama with young people in school contexts." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2010. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/33156/2/Susan_Davis_Thesis.pdf.
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This study explores young people's creative practice through using Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) - in one particular learning area - Drama. The study focuses on school-based contexts and the impact of ICT-based interventions within two drama education case studies. The first pilot study involved the use of online spaces to complement a co-curricula performance project. The second focus case was a curriculum-based project with online spaces and digital technologies being used to create a cyberdrama. Each case documents the activity systems, participant experiences and meaning making in specific institutional and technological contexts. The nature of creative practice and learning are analysed, using frameworks drawn from Vygotsky's socio-historical theory (including his work on creativity) and from activity theory. Case study analysis revealed the nature of contradictions encountered and these required an analysis of institutional constraints and the dynamics of power. Cyberdrama offers young people opportunities to explore drama through new modes and the use of ICTs can be seen as contributing different tools, spaces and communities for creative activity. To be able to engage in creative practice using ICTs requires a focus on a range of cultural tools and social practices beyond those of the purely technological. Cybernetic creative practice requires flexibility in the negotiation of tool use and subjects and a system that responds to feedback and can adapt. Classroom-based dramatic practice may allow for the negotiation of power and tool use in the development of collaborative works of the imagination. However, creative practice using ICTs in schools is typically restricted by authoritative power structures and access issues. The research identified participant engagement and meaning making emerging from different factors, with some students showing preferences for embodied creative practice in Drama that did not involve ICTs. The findings of the study suggest ICT-based interventions need to focus on different applications for the technology but also on embodied experience, the negotiation of power, identity and human interactions.
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De, Saulles Martin. "Innovation within the service sector : the use of interactive networks by retailers." Thesis, University of Sussex, 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.302259.
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