Abstract Titel: När rykten blir nyheter – Lokalpressen och Flashback Forum Författare: Anna Jernberg, Annica Hallquist Handledare: Anna Edin   Uppsatsen behandlar relationen mellan Flashback Forum och Gävles lokaltidningar Gefle Dagblad och Arbetarbladet. Om hur nära de jobbar varandra, medborgarjournalisternas betydelse, vem som sätter agendan och hur tidningarna jobbar med de etiska spelreglerna. I viss mån även ryktesspridning. Syftet med uppsatsen var att studera om och i så fall hur medborgarjournalistiken bidrar till morgondagens nyheter via Flashback Forum. De metoder vi har använt oss av för att nå vår slutats är komparativ metod och semistrukturerade intervjuer. Den komparativa analysen för att se i hur många fall lokalpressen använder sig av Flashback och hur våra informanter i intervjuer säger sig arbeta med detta forum. Materialet kommer från intervjuer med journalister, Arbetarbladet (AB) och Gefle Dagblads (GD) nätupplagor samt tråden på Flashback Forum Mord på kvinna, Gävle 20/9-14 som handlar om mordet på Stora Esplanadgatan. Avgränsningsperioden var från 2014-09-20 till 2014-10-20. Vårt svar på undersökningen är: de kriminalfall du läser om på Flashback idag kanske du får läsa om i morgondagens tidning.   Nyckelord: Flashback Forum, agenda setting, medie- och pressetik, ryktesspridning, medborgarjournalistik, Arbetarbladet, Gefle Dagblad.

Institutional transformation initiated the creation of an online forum by academic staff at the North- West University. This forum functioned as an official space on the intranet of the institution as a result of the need of academics to communicate their opinions and concerns. Participants in the forum judged the university and other co-discussants according to their ideals of a democratic, multiracial and self-reflective institution of higher learning. Debates which interested the broad academic community focused on the practice of religion, the student culture, hostel traditions and the language of instruction. The threads which dealt with these subjects were usually characterised by intense emotion and conflict as divergent racial and cultural identities constituted a pervasive presence in the discussions. The study explored the reasons, strategies and consequences of internal exclusion which participants exercised within the forum discourse and the external incidences of exclusion practised within the larger discursive contexts (institutional, socio-political) of the forum. The inclusive focus of the communicative model of democratic discourse on emotion as an expansion of reason determined the exploration of patterns of exclusion. The online discussion has been in existence for more than twelve years. The forum is not in the public domain and only administrative and academic staff within the institution has access to it. The asynchronous participations are authored and archived since 2004. Six discussants who acted as protagonists in the thread on racism were the main participants in the interviews. Five more participants were interviewed as their presence in, perceptions of and relationship with the forum and its participants were significant to the researcher and other discussants. Qualitative research methodology informed the critical phenomenological approach of the study. The researcher conducted interviews and analyses between August 2010 and July 2011. The methodology of grounded theory directed the coding of interview transcripts and the text of the forum thread. The research diary and reflective notes enabled the researcher to find synergy between the practical field experience and theory. The study found that strong ideological positions led to frustration with the idealised role participants contributed to the forum as a vehicle for change. These frustrations were incorporated in their rationalistic and moralistic strategies of interaction with participants holding equally strong but opposing positions. Eventually those who were motivated to participate because of their dissonance with discourse, within and outside the context of the forum, either excluded themselves or became excluded as their voices were not appreciated. They could also not persuade others or effect structural change. Participants with mediating presences brought an amiable nuance to the forum and influenced protagonists to assume less declarative styles of interaction and reflect on their own unemancipatory positions. Based on the inclusionary and exclusionary elements found in the analyses, the study concludes with recommendations for the design and moderation of an inclusive and equalising space. This redefined space could subverse the dominating discourse of protagonists and foster a democratic discourse within the context of the forum and the university. / Thesis (PhD (Curriculum Development Innovation and Evaluation))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

Institutional transformation initiated the creation of an online forum by academic staff at the North- West University. This forum functioned as an official space on the intranet of the institution as a result of the need of academics to communicate their opinions and concerns. Participants in the forum judged the university and other co-discussants according to their ideals of a democratic, multiracial and self-reflective institution of higher learning. Debates which interested the broad academic community focused on the practice of religion, the student culture, hostel traditions and the language of instruction. The threads which dealt with these subjects were usually characterised by intense emotion and conflict as divergent racial and cultural identities constituted a pervasive presence in the discussions. The study explored the reasons, strategies and consequences of internal exclusion which participants exercised within the forum discourse and the external incidences of exclusion practised within the larger discursive contexts (institutional, socio-political) of the forum. The inclusive focus of the communicative model of democratic discourse on emotion as an expansion of reason determined the exploration of patterns of exclusion. The online discussion has been in existence for more than twelve years. The forum is not in the public domain and only administrative and academic staff within the institution has access to it. The asynchronous participations are authored and archived since 2004. Six discussants who acted as protagonists in the thread on racism were the main participants in the interviews. Five more participants were interviewed as their presence in, perceptions of and relationship with the forum and its participants were significant to the researcher and other discussants. Qualitative research methodology informed the critical phenomenological approach of the study. The researcher conducted interviews and analyses between August 2010 and July 2011. The methodology of grounded theory directed the coding of interview transcripts and the text of the forum thread. The research diary and reflective notes enabled the researcher to find synergy between the practical field experience and theory. The study found that strong ideological positions led to frustration with the idealised role participants contributed to the forum as a vehicle for change. These frustrations were incorporated in their rationalistic and moralistic strategies of interaction with participants holding equally strong but opposing positions. Eventually those who were motivated to participate because of their dissonance with discourse, within and outside the context of the forum, either excluded themselves or became excluded as their voices were not appreciated. They could also not persuade others or effect structural change. Participants with mediating presences brought an amiable nuance to the forum and influenced protagonists to assume less declarative styles of interaction and reflect on their own unemancipatory positions. Based on the inclusionary and exclusionary elements found in the analyses, the study concludes with recommendations for the design and moderation of an inclusive and equalising space. This redefined space could subverse the dominating discourse of protagonists and foster a democratic discourse within the context of the forum and the university. / Thesis (PhD (Curriculum Development Innovation and Evaluation))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

Depuis quelques années, les chercheurs et les professionnels de la santé ont souligné l'importance d'un phénomène, soit la consommation de médicaments à des fins non médicales. Ce phénomène est observable sur Internet, notamment dans les forums de discussion qui permettent à des usagers de mettre en commun leurs expériences de consommation. Ce mémoire a pour objet l'étude d'un forum de discussion dédié aux échanges sur la consommation de dextrométorphane (DXM) à des fins récréatives. Afin de mieux comprendre ce phénomène, nous avons analysé les différentes formes de contribution au forum, les thématiques abordées dans les échanges, les différentes formes d'usage du forum de discussion et l'importance qu'accordent les usagers aux risques liés à cette pratique. Sur le plan méthodologique, nous avons adopté une démarche de recherche qualitative basée sur une analyse de contenu d'un fil de discussion ayant pour objet les récits d'expérience sous l'effet du DXM. Nos observations montrent que l'usage du forum de discussion permet surtout à un groupe d'individus de se réunir dans un endroit virtuel pour échanger et socialiser sur leurs différentes expériences sous l'effet du DXM et pour conseiller et orienter les usagers dans leurs pratiques. Ainsi, nous avons constaté que les principaux thèmes des échanges permettaient de sensibiliser les membres de la communauté aux risques et que les usagers n'hésitaient pas à déconseiller certaines pratiques lorsqu'elles étaient jugées risquées. Ces échanges en ligne favoriseraient ainsi l'encadrement des pratiques de consommation. Les résultats de ce mémoire permettent de mieux comprendre la relation entre Internet, les usagers et le rapport qu'ils entretiennent avec les informations qui y circulent. Ce mémoire permet également de mieux saisir l'importance que prend le phénomène de la consommation de médicaments à des fins non médicales dans la société actuelle et de penser à des pistes de solutions favorisant la sensibilisation des usagers aux risques associés à cette pratique. Enfin, cette recherche a permis d'explorer les questions méthodologiques concernant l'accessibilité à une multitude d'informations, publiées anonymement. ______________________________________________________________________________ MOTS-CLÉS DE L’AUTEUR : consommation de médicaments hors cadre médical, forum de discussion, TIC, risque, usage, thème des échanges.

I report the findings of an original empirical study of population policy information needs and modes of information dissemination and use among policymakers in the Asia-Pacific region. Data were obtained through a survey of readers of a population journal. Respondents' information needs and uses are analyzed. The findings help answer broad questions about development-related social-scientific information needs and uses among policymakers. An assessment of the potential contribution of new telematic technologies to information dissemination and use in the 1990s, based upon the survey findings and a review of the literature on telematic applications, is presented.Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306 / Center for Information and Communication Sciences

In May 2004 there was a shake-up in the private pharmaceutical industry in South Africa. The National Department of Health (DOH) introduced a form of price control which for the first time attempted to regulate prices at every level of the pharmaceutical distribution chain. The price controls was immediately challenged and was not properly implemented until partially upheld by the Constitutional Court at the end of 2005. Throughout 2006 the DOH (through the Pricing Committee) reconsidered parts of the price controls, dealing with an appropriate dispensing fee for retailers, which were struck down by the Constitutional Court. In late 2006, a new dispensing fee was published and then immediately challenged. The DOH claims they had to do this to make sure that medicines remain affordable, and pharmacists at the end of the day get a reasonable income from each price band. The United South African Pharmacies (USAP) and the Pharmacy Stakeholders1 Forum (PSF) claim that implementation of the price controls would have pharmacies not being able to cover their expenses. The objectives of the study are to ascertain whether the price controls forced upon the healthcare industry by the DOH of South Africa is viable in small retail pharmacies and what the impact will be on small retail pharmacies and their communities. The actual annual income statements for 2006 of three typical pharmacies were obtained. The next step was to determine the effect that the price controls would have had on the total sales and key financial factors in the income statement if the price controls was already in force in 2006. A revised experimental income statement was then created for the pharmacies. The experimental statements were then compared to the actual statements to determine the effects of the price controls. The comparison showed that all the pharmacies were following the same trend and had a decrease in net profit. Two of the pharmacies would have had a net loss for the year while the third will continue to show a net profit although much lower. This net profit decreased from 7% to 3% following a decrease in gross profit (GP) from 33% to 30%. The GP of the front sales shop remained unchanged, while the GP percentage for the dispensary decreased by 5% from 30% to 25%. The DuPont model showed that the Return on Equity (ROE) decreased from 83% to 33%. Drug price regulations could force many pharmacies into bankruptcy and ensure that the distribution of drugs to rural and remote areas will be financially impracticable. Once in place, the drug price regulations are likely to become ever more complex and onerous to comply with. The price regulations may end up reducing price competition among manufacturers, and in the long run, will harm the consumer by fixing prices above what would otherwise have been achieved in an open competitive market. The drug price regulations distort the normal market clearing process and effectively increase demand for medicine without providing the economic incentives that serve to match demand with supply. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

In May 2004 there was a shake-up in the private pharmaceutical industry in South Africa. The National Department of Health (DOH) introduced a form of price control which for the first time attempted to regulate prices at every level of the pharmaceutical distribution chain. The price controls was immediately challenged and was not properly implemented until partially upheld by the Constitutional Court at the end of 2005. Throughout 2006 the DOH (through the Pricing Committee) reconsidered parts of the price controls, dealing with an appropriate dispensing fee for retailers, which were struck down by the Constitutional Court. In late 2006, a new dispensing fee was published and then immediately challenged. The DOH claims they had to do this to make sure that medicines remain affordable, and pharmacists at the end of the day get a reasonable income from each price band. The United South African Pharmacies (USAP) and the Pharmacy Stakeholders1 Forum (PSF) claim that implementation of the price controls would have pharmacies not being able to cover their expenses. The objectives of the study are to ascertain whether the price controls forced upon the healthcare industry by the DOH of South Africa is viable in small retail pharmacies and what the impact will be on small retail pharmacies and their communities. The actual annual income statements for 2006 of three typical pharmacies were obtained. The next step was to determine the effect that the price controls would have had on the total sales and key financial factors in the income statement if the price controls was already in force in 2006. A revised experimental income statement was then created for the pharmacies. The experimental statements were then compared to the actual statements to determine the effects of the price controls. The comparison showed that all the pharmacies were following the same trend and had a decrease in net profit. Two of the pharmacies would have had a net loss for the year while the third will continue to show a net profit although much lower. This net profit decreased from 7% to 3% following a decrease in gross profit (GP) from 33% to 30%. The GP of the front sales shop remained unchanged, while the GP percentage for the dispensary decreased by 5% from 30% to 25%. The DuPont model showed that the Return on Equity (ROE) decreased from 83% to 33%. Drug price regulations could force many pharmacies into bankruptcy and ensure that the distribution of drugs to rural and remote areas will be financially impracticable. Once in place, the drug price regulations are likely to become ever more complex and onerous to comply with. The price regulations may end up reducing price competition among manufacturers, and in the long run, will harm the consumer by fixing prices above what would otherwise have been achieved in an open competitive market. The drug price regulations distort the normal market clearing process and effectively increase demand for medicine without providing the economic incentives that serve to match demand with supply. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

The main objective of this thesis is to examine the specific place of the Freedom Party (H&uuml / rriyet Partisi) in Turkish political history. Founded by a group of Democratic Party (Demokrat Parti) members who were expelled from the party in December 1956, the Freedom Party (1956-1958) is crucial for a proper understanding of evolution of the idea and practice of democracy in Turkey. Although mostly neglected by students of Turkish politics and labeled as an insignificant political party, this thesis argues that the Freedom Party is critical for understanding the 1950s and socioeconomic and legal-constitutional developments of the following decade. The thesis also pays a considerable attention to the Forum journal, which began to be published in 1954 by a group of liberal intellectuals and which guided the Freedom Party in ideological and political terms. It is the main argument of this thesis that the Freedom Party and Forum journal introduced a new understanding of politics and this understanding had profound effects in the following decades. The ideological transformation of the Republican People&rsquo / s Party (Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi) after the second half of the 1950s and the role of HP in this process is another topic of the thesis.

This thesis investigates the perceptions of students about using mobile communication tools in web-based instruction. A mobile learning portal that can be used by different mobile devices was designed for this purpose. This portal included a mobile discussion forum and a course information system. Sixty undergraduate and five graduate students from METU/CEIT department used this portal as a supportive learning activity in three different courses throughout two-three, and four-week periods. The discussion subjects related to course content were created by instructors in these courses and students used this portal by sending messages or creating new subjects. Assignment results and announcements were inserted into the system by the instructors of these courses. A user evaluation instrument was developed by the researcher and validated by field experts. At the end of the study, perceptions of students were collected about mobile learning, mobile learning technologies and mobile discussion forums by using this instrument. Descriptive statistics were calculated according to the responses of students. The study results show that most of the students enjoyed using mobile technologies in education and they want to use mobile technologies in other courses. Although they like using mobile technologies, they did not increase the level of learning and motivation of the students much. Furthermore, mobile technologies did not increase the communication between students and between students and teachers despite their highly developed communication capabilities. Students could easily use the mobile technologies but small screen sizes and limited keypads hindered them from performing the operations. According to students, the cost of using mobile technologies is quite important whereas the data communication security is not important.

Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / Bibliography. Also available via the Internet.