Managing relations with customers has been a main concern for business organisations from different sizes and fields. Such a concern has grown rapidly in the last few decades for a number of reasons such as the development of new technologies especially in the field of information technology (IT). Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a newly emerged concept in the fields of IT and business that aims to strengthen the relationships between an organisation and its customers. Despite the promising expectations of implementing such a concept by many organisations, a significant number of CRM projects fail or result in disappointing outcomes that fall far short of expectations. This motivated researchers and practitioners to study the sources of failure and the factors of success in CRM implementation. Although CRM existed first in western organisations, it has spread almost all over the world as an increasing number of firms are implementing or planning to implement CRM. This research designed an integrated framework for investigating and evaluating the implementation of CRM in developing countries. The design of this framework was based on previous studies in the field of CRM implementation especially in the area of studying CRM success and failure. It is also based on the common sense and knowledge of the researcher in the field of CRM. To help identify successful implementation of CRM and to provide organisations with a guide to implement CRM projects, the research reviewed and organised the literature on CRM success and failure as well as the previous studies in CRM frameworks. Subsequently, the research designed a framework for CRM implementation that integrates CRM implementation phases/stages, CRM components, and CRM success factors. To assess the feasibility of the framework in developing countries, the research developed in-depth case study methodology that focused on two large communication companies which operate in Saudi Arabia and are implementing CRM projects fully and partially. The questions of the case study were developed to assess the feasibility of the framework based on the comparison between the conceptual framework and the practical implementation of CRM by the case companies, and the case study protocol was developed accordingly. Data was collected through multiple sources such as in-depth interviews, observations, documentations and archival records. The results of the case study support the feasibility of the framework in implementing CRM in general. The assessment stage was highly supported by the results. In addition, the success factors and their importance in implementing CRM were supported by the results with variation of importance of the success factors. However, cultural issues were significant to the CRM implementation and required modification to the framework to be more effective when implemented in developing countries.

Electronic government (e-government) diffusion and adoption is a global topic that concerns many developed and developing countries worldwide. However, global efforts to provide e-services to different stakeholders (citizens) differ from one country to another in terms of readiness, challenges, adoptions and diffusions. These differences are due to the variation of technological, political, cultural, economic and social differences. A number of studies on e-government have focused on the technological, economic and political aspects of implementation, while others have examined factors that influence citizens‘ adoption of e-government services, such as availability, accessibility, usability, awareness and trust. This study will focus on the influence of intermediary roles played by third parties in helping diffusion and adoption of e-government. This study will use a qualitative research approach to reflect the roles of intermediaries on e-government realms in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The study will aim to address the research question, "What are the roles of an intermediary in adoption and diffusion of e-government services?" In addition, the study undertaken for this thesis will examine the most salient factors that determine adoption of e-government services in Saudi Arabia and validate the UTAUT model in the Saudi Arabian context, particularly focusing on intermediary organisations. This aspect of the study will use a quantitative approach using a survey to understand citizens‘ perspectives regarding intermediary and e-government adoption. The outcome of this study will create a conceptual model for studying e-government adoption in Saudi Arabia. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings will be discussed, offering recommendations for future research directions.

The objectives of this study are to investigate the formulation and implementation of strategies within Retail Bank at corporate, business unit, functional and operational levels, focusing specifically on who is accountable and responsible for strategy formulation and implementation at each of these levels, as well as the factors related to the success or failure of strategy implementation and how success is measured. In addition, this study attempts to determine whether or not the financial industry as a whole plays a significant role in the success of strategy implementation within Retail Bank.

Introduction: The number of older adults (≥ 65 years) is increasing in Sweden. At the same time, the elderly care system is being restructured with an increased care burden in nursing homes (NHs). Several studies report a high prevalence of malnutrition among older adults. In recent years public awareness about malnutrition has increased and collective initiatives have been undertaken. However, we lack knowledge regarding how to implement these initiatives to achieve real improvements in practice. Aims: The overall aims of the thesis are to update our knowledge of the nutritional situation in municipal elderly care and to evaluate different implementation strategies (external facilitation and educational outreach visits) for implementing nutritional guidelines in the NH setting. Methods: Residents and staff of altogether eight NH units participated in the studies. The two implementation strategies were external facilitation (EF) and educational outreach visits (EOV). The EF strategy was a one-year, multifaceted intervention that included support, guidance, practice audits and feedback in four NH units. The EOV strategy comprised one three-hour lecture about the nutritional guidelines in four other NH units. Both strategies were targeted to selected NH teams, which consisted of a unit manager, a nurse and 5-10 care staff. Results: In paper I, the prevalence of malnutrition in the NH setting remained high, i.e., 30% were malnourished and 63% at risk of malnutrition, and malnutrition was associated with deterioration in function and cognition and one-year mortality. However, possible improvements in nutritional status among NH residents over time (from 1996 to 2010) were observed. In paper II, the EF strategy improved mealtime ambience compared to the EOV strategy with respect to arranging the table, offering a choice of beverage and more to drink, serving the meal, increasing social interactions between staff and residents, decreasing social interactions among staff and reducing noise from the kitchen. In paper III, the EF strategy may have been related to a delay in cognitive deterioration in a sub-sample of communicative NH residents. In paper IV, the EF strategy improved, on average, the ability and willingness of the staff to implement the guidelines, i.e., the staff experienced a clearer assignment of responsibilities regarding nutritional procedures and that they had more time, tools and support from leadership. Moreover, the staff felt that they experienced less resistance from work colleagues, that their knowledge and experience were valued, that the guidelines worked in practice and that the implementation of guidelines was not labourious.  Conclusions: Malnutrition is prevalent in Swedish nursing homes. Implementation of nutritional guidelines by an external facilitator, as compared to traditional methods, may be more effective on mealtime ambience, provide better preconditions for change among the staff, and may have positive effects on cognition among residents.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Coordination, Collaboration, and Cooperation, (C04); Community (C01) Driven Development (D2) minus Historical Institutionalisation (HI) is equal to Policy Implementation Effectiveness (PIE), is recommended by the researcher to improve results. Trends in compiled data were analysed with regards to legislative oversight and accountability in the petroleum industry, using the OECD/ DAC evaluation criteria. In terms of relevance, effectiveness, and efficiency, the researcher discovered a partial link between the activities performed by parliamentarians representing the petroleum industry where HDSA transformation is concerned. It was concluded that electrical energy generation and distribution throughout the five-year period drew more focus in terms of oversight than on other sectors. It was further noted that oversight and accountability could have been applied more efficiently if input were linked to policy objectives and activities. This resulted in only partial or limited HDSA transformation in the petroleum industry. When it comes to sustainability the researcher argued that despite the apparent long-term stability of parliamentary activities, such stability may not translate to sufficient oversight and accountability to ensure sustainable transformation in the petroleum industry. It was concluded that while oversight and accountability was being applied to one specific arena, other areas in need of transformation did not receive sufficient, or indeed any, legislative oversight. The facilitation model: Communication, Coordination, Collaboration, and Cooperation, (C04); and Community (C01) Driven Oversight and Accountability (D1OA) is recommended by the researcher to improve effective oversight and accountability. Thus, Effective (A + O) = C04 + C01 /D1OA equals to (A + O)e = C205 / D1OA.

The main aim of the study was to investigate the extent to which the implementation of Cosmo City Project has accomplished the aims of housing policy. The main areas of housing policy which were explored are: partnerships, public participation, tenure security, and integration (spatial, institutional, economic, and social). In order for this study to be successful, primary data was collected from ten residents from Cosmo City, Cosmo Environmental Control Officer, and the Project Manager. A research questionnaire was administered to each of the identified respondents. In addition, secondary data was collected from books, journal articles and relevant policy documents. The analysis of findings used research questions as themes to ensure that the data collected respond to the objectives of the research. The findings of the study revealed that the implementation of Cosmo City achieved most of its objectives such as tenure security, environmental sustainability, spatial integration and institutional integration. However, economic and social integration were not achieved by the project. These findings led the researcher to conclude that an attempt by South African government to create socially and economically viable human settlements did not succeed in Cosmo City. This was due to lack of effective public participation. Consequently, it was recommended that there was a need to strengthen the capacity of the Local Authorities in terms of housing policy formulation and implementation. Again, thorough research on urban poverty and urban integration processes were to be clearly incorporated into housing policy.

The focus of this study was the challenge of implementing school improvement interventions from inception through the system to the school, within a framework of the multiple layers of South Africa's complex education system. These are the macro level, (the provincial and national political and bureaucratic decision makers), the meso-level (the role and function of district offices and external agents), and the micro level (local contexts at the site of the school). This study does not intend to evaluate school improvement interventions but rather to research and interrogate the mediation of the interventions at various levels and within the contextual realities of an education system in transition. The problem is three-pronged and is premised on understanding the link between the study of implementation and of school improvement within education in transition. The hypothesis put forward is that, on the one hand, contextual realties, contestation and contradictions at various levels of a complex organization shape the outcomes of a school improvement intervention. On the other hand, school improvement strategies must be further located within the framework of implementation in order to explore the complexities of getting things done in an emerging democracy. The challenge posed is whether a coherent link between implementation and school improvement can be achieved while taking into cognizance the three levels and the contextual realities informed by the legacy of the past. I identified two case studies of school improvement initiatives undertaken in the Gauteng province. The first was initiated during the first phase of the new democratic government, an EQUIP intervention programme initiated by the first Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for education in Gauteng. I chose EQUIP because the design and initiation of this intervention symbolized the political ideology of this first period of government. The second school improvement initiative, the Education Action Zone (EAZ) intervention, was chosen because it reflects a significant shift in political ideals in the second period of government. This study argues that school improvement in the emerging South African context must respond to the contested nature of transforming societies and the serious lack of cohesion and capacity at all levels of the system. In order to respond to this difficult terrain, implementation within a cyclic model must be an integral part of the design of a school improvement intervention. There must be a clear understanding of the political, cultural and technical nuances in each of the three environments. Implementation is dependent on actors in them, and the contextual realties shape the level of agency played by the people in each. The linkage also determines the fidelity, compliance, and communication of the message of the intervention as actors within each have different levels of power and authority to influence the change process.

Den digitala utvecklingen som pågår i samhället har resulterat i nya arbetssätt för att effektivisera och förbättra organisationers processer. Tidigare har organisationer implementerat systemlösningar för att effektivisera sina verksamheter men i takt med den digitala utvecklingen har fenomenet Robotic Process Automation (RPA) utvecklats. RPA syftar till att effektivisera organisationers verksamheter genom automatisering av processer. Det problemområde som identifierats genom granskning av tidigare litteratur handlar om vad som är specifikt för aktiviteter som genomförs vid RPA-implementationer och vad som karaktäriserar dessa. Studien som genomförts med en kvalitativ ansats syftar därför till att skapa förståelse för implementationer av RPA. Mer specifikt för att kunna identifiera vilka aktiviteter som genomförs och vad som karaktäriserar dessa. Med karaktär på aktiviteterna menas vad, hur och varför den aktiviteten genomförs. Vi efter genomförd studie identifierat åtta stycken karaktärsdrag för aktiviteter vid implementation av RPA. / The digital development in the society has resulted in new ways of working in order for companies to improve and streamline their processes. Earlier, organizations have implemented system solutions to increase the efficiency in their operations, but along with the digital development the phenomenon Robotic Process Automation (RPA) has evolved. RPA aims to streamline the operations of companies through processes automation. The problem area that has been identified through review of earlier literature is about what is specific for activities carried out at RPA implementations and what is characterizing these. The study, which has been carried out with a qualitative approach, therefore aims to create an understanding for implementations of RPA. More specifically, in order to be able to identify which activities that are being implemented and how these are being characterized. With characteristics of the activities it is meant what, how and why the activity is implemented. We have, after completed study, identified eight characteristics for activities when implementing RPA.

Thesis advisor: Rebecca Lowenhaupt / This single case study examines how stakeholders of a local education agency (LEA) understand and implement state turnaround policy for its chronically underperforming schools. While there is ample research on how to improve chronically underperforming schools, that research becomes limited when looking at turnaround implementation actions that are in response to policy mandates. This qualitative study uses the theory frame of policy sense-making to identify how implementers come to understand turnaround policy and to explore how that sense-making impacts their implementation decisions. The study findings were that teachers recognized three main stages of turnaround. In the first stage building principals used directive leadership to build a unified vision. Implementers reported that this unified vision was partly brought about by the removal of any teaching staff not in line with the principal's turnaround plan. The second stage of turnaround centered on building teacher capacity through internal and external professional development. Internal professional development meant creating multiple meeting configurations where teachers could stay in touch with the turnaround process, offer input, and continually learn from each other. External professional development involved developing teacher skills to more effectively and more rapidly raise student achievement. Findings from across four different implementer groups pointed to the importance of building teachers' ability to understand and use data to improve their instruction as well as student learning. Time for both types of professional development came largely from the introduction of extended learning time (ELT) that was paid for through state and federal grant monies. In the third stage teachers worried about the sustainability of turnaround once the resources from state and federal grants were gone. Hope for sustainability was found most present within the bonds formed by teachers who grew to rely on and trust one another during the arduous work of school turnaround. / Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2014. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

Research indicates a significant rise in child and adolescent mental health difficulties over the past few decades (Mental Health Foundation, 2015). Evidence-based programmes are becoming increasingly favoured as a preventative measure to address these difficulties, given that a large number of interventions delivered in schools have been shown to be effective (Domitrovich et al., 2008). While schools offer an ideal stage for the prevention of mental health difficulties, research suggests that the outcomes of evidence-based programmes are heavily moderated by implementation variability (Durlak, 2015). A key driver of effective implementation and therefore, positive outcomes, is the implementer - who in the case of school-based preventative programmes is almost exclusively the class teacher. The aim of the current study was to investigate the influence of individual level teacher characteristics on implementation variability in a universal social and emotional learning programme, using data drawn from the evaluation of the PATHS to Success trial (Humphrey et al., under review). A concurrent embedded mixed methods design was used to gain a fuller appreciation of the individual level factors that affect implementation variability. A total of 183 teachers were included in the analyses, who completed surveys regarding their professional and psychological characteristics, as well as their perceptions of and attitudes towards interventions. Data were analysed using multiple regression, including a series of interaction terms. Missing data were addressed by means of multiple imputation. There were twelve focus teachers in the qualitative strand, with interviews conducted to investigate the individual level barriers and facilitators associated with implementation variability. Teachers' interview data was analysed thematically. Results indicated that teachers' characteristics did have an influence on implementation variability, although this varied depending on the aspect of implementation. A series of multiple regression analyses indicated that implementer characteristics accounted for 9% of the variance in the fidelity model, 21% in the dosage model, and 15% in the quality model. No individual predictors were significant, although there were some marginally non-significant trends. There was also no reported increase in the variance across the three models when a series of interaction terms were added. The qualitative interviews aided the clarification of some of the quantitative findings, adding substantial depth to some of the conclusions drawn, with school leadership emerging as a significant factor in the successful implementation of the programme. There were a number of implications as a result of the findings from the current study for researchers, programme developers, and schools in understanding implementation variability at the individual level. Directions for future research are discussed in light of these findings.