There are three different uses of the term 'information' in ordinary language: in the restricted sense, it means diverse types of material objects, such as data or documents ('information as thing'); alternatively, the term is used as in reference to the act of informing or becoming informed ('information as process'), or to equate to knowledge ('information as knowledge'). Each of these connotations represents a legitimate view of information in its own right, being equally significant to information-intensive organisations. The literature lacks studies that approach information from an integrative viewpoint, however. The purpose of this study was to explore and develop the notion of 'information governance' as an integrative, systemic approach to information in the context of research organisations. Soft Systems Methodology was used in a case study involving the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation. Qualitative data was gathered through in-depth interviews with researchers and information/knowledge managers, followed by a thematic, two-level analysis. From a 'macro level' of analysis (the wider Brazilian agricultural research system) it was found that, to solve increasingly complex research problems, collaborative, multidisciplinary networking is needed. On the other hand, competitive forces are continuously emanating from the systems of research steering, funds and resources' allocation, quality control, and recognition and reward. This conflict inhibits the collaborative sharing of 'information as thing' and 'as knowledge', disturbs internal communication flows and contributes to low levels of synergy and cross-departmental partnerships, ultimately affecting research outcomes. At a 'meso level' (the local practices and culture of agricultural knowledge production), different epistemic cultures were identified (named in vitro, in situ and in silico research), which respond differently to the opposing forces of collaboration and competition. Based on a deep understanding of the agricultural research system and underlying epistemic cultures, a framework for effective governance of information was developed. Action to improve the governance of information at Embrapa would involve nurturing an information culture that supports collaborative work. Given that interactions between researchers are determined by their individual pursuits and struggles, this would require a change in the corporate system of performance evaluation and reward, according to the different epistemic cultures.

Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The complexity of adopting a new crop-based biodiesel feedstock into South Africa given the prevailing environmental, economic and social concerns facing the country are addressed in this study by utilising a Systems Thinking approach. Solaris is a new variety of Tobacco developed specifically as an energy crop over the last twelve years by Italian companies Plantechno and Sunchem. Small-scale trials have been underway over the last year in the Loskop Valley farming community in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. These trials have been managed by the newly-formed local entity, Toboil (Pty) Ltd. In order to assess the viability of introducing Solaris into Loskop in terms of addressing the current diesel and electricity needs of the community and larger over-arching biofuel goals of South Africa, the full System Dynamic Modelling process was employed. This included significant research, stakeholder engagement, a Systems Thinking workshop as well as model development and simulation using the System Dynamics programming tool, Vensim. Following the simulation of various scenarios, it was determined that in order for Solaris implementation to have the greatest impact on the diesel and electricity independence desires of the community, as well as maximising job creation and avoided greenhouse gas emissions, the first five to ten years of implementation may only achieve low to moderate profitability. It was further concluded that if crop-based biofuels are to help meet the rural development goals of South Africa then significant investment and skills transfer is required. In order to address both of these, a modular development process is advocated and should be aided and mentored by members of the commercial farming industry. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die kompleksiteit van die aanvaarding van ‘n nuwe oes-gebaseerde bio diesel roumateriaal in Suid-Afrika in die heersende omgewings-, ekonomiese- en sosiale kommer wat die land ervaar, word in hierdie studie aangespreek deur gebruik te maak van ‘n Sistemiese Denke Benadering (Systems Thinking approach) Solaris is ‘n nuwe variasie Tabak wat deur twee Italiaanse maatskappye Plantechno en Sunchem oor die afgelope twaalf jaar spesifiek as ‘n bron van energie ontwikkel is. Kleinskaalse proewe is gedurende die afgelope jaar in die Loskop Vallei Landbougemeenskap in die Limpopo-provinsie van Suid-Afrika gedoen. Hierdie proewe word onder die toesig van die nuut gevormde plaaslike entiteit, Toboil (Pty) Ltd uitgevoer. Aansienlike navorsing, die aktiewe deelname van die onderskeie belanghebbende partye, ‘n Sistemiese Denke werkswinkel sowel as die ontwerp van ‘n simulasie model deur die gebruik van Sisteem Dinamieke Programerings program, naamlik Vensim, is ingespan om die lewensvatbaarheid van die moontlike aanplanting van Solaris te beoordeel. Die spesifieke gemeenskap se huidige behoeftes aan diesel en elektrisiteit sowel as Suid-Afrika se breër doelwitte aangaande bio-brandstowwe was as die grondslag gebruik waarop die volle Sistemiese Denke Benadering toegepas is. In Loskop omgewing was verskeie moontlike scenarios beproef en daar is op grond daarvan vasgestel dat ten einde die grootste moontlike inpak te maak op die afhanlikheid van diesel en elektrisiteit behoeftes van die gemeenskap, sowel as om die grootste moontlik werkskepping potensiaal te verwesenlik – terwyl die afskeiding van kweekhuis gasse verhoed word - die eerste vyf tot tien jaar van implementering baie lae winsgrens tot gevolg sal hê. Daar is ook verder afgelei dat afsienbare beleggings en opleiding benodig gaan word indien aangeplante bio-brandstowwe aangewend sou word om die landelike ontwikkelingsdoelwitte in Suid-Afrika te verwesenlik. Ten einde beide hierdie doelwitte aan te spreek, word ‘n modulêre ontwikkelings proses aanbeveel waar gevestigde lede van die kommersiële lanbou industrie, bystand en leierskap voorsien.

It can be shown that exceeding both utilitarian and hedonic needs of consumers leads towards greater satisfaction, delight and enduring consumer loyalty. If designers are to meet the progressively diverse needs of consumers, then access to consumer values, aspirations and the underlying logic of their social practice become increasingly important. If we accept that what people say, do and think are often different things, gaining access to these requirements is clearly a challenge. The challenge is not only concerned with how these requirements are accessed at source, through widely adopted ethnographically inspired techniques, but more towards how these requirements are communicated to the designer. There is a clear disconnect between the collection of consumer requirements and how these requirements are arranged and communicated as implications for design. This thesis details a governance framework for the output of ethnographically inspired research methods to provide an understanding of the arrangement and attributes a communication tool for ethnographic work should possess, particularly towards the more technical area of new product development. The framework bridges a gap between consumer research and design action, which may be used as an approach to facilitate innovation, targeted problem solving and offer creative direction for new product development. Following an exploratory review of the literature and a series of way-finding interviews with domestic appliance and consumer goods manufacturers, a pilot study was conducted to identify the philosophical and practical barriers faced by designers, when designing for consumer requirements beyond the functional. A detailed second level literature review explored the emergent themes and led towards a desktop review of over 30 different creative thinking design tools from the design & emotion movement, 24 different communication approaches for ethnographic work in design and a two year case study on communication within the design process.

Problem/Purpose: Process prioritisation is an ill-structured and complex problem that remains a mystery phase in business process management (BPM) research. More explorative approaches are called upon to tackle process management problems, to facilitate process innovation and to design new processes in dynamic environments. This dissertation aims (i) to design and evaluate a Prioritisation and Categorisation Method (PCM) for addressing process prioritisation problems; and (ii) to explore process innovation by disruptive technologies. Research methods: This research follows the design science research (DSR) paradigm. The design exploration and the engaged scholarship approaches are also adapted. The demonstration and evaluation of the Prioritisation and Categorisation Method have been conducted with case studies in large Swedish companies, i.e. Seco Tools and Ericsson. An empirical study of the impacts of disruptive technologies on process innovation was conducted at a large insurance company in Sweden. Results: This research has led to the design and evaluation of the PCM: a new context-aware, effective and holistic method for BPM. In addition, the lessons learnt from the insurance case deepened the understanding of the challenges that are faced by a company when exploring new capabilities (e.g. processes and IT) for future business. Such lessons also emphasise the necessity of configuring PCM based upon business contingencies and industry factors in process prioritisation. Contributions: This dissertation contributes a novel method to explore BPM in a holistic, yet flexible and effective way. The challenges identified in process innovations improve the configuration capabilities of the PCM through a deeper understanding of the dynamic capabilities within organisations (Capability Layer Model-CLM). This research contributes design knowledge to DSR in the forms of the PCM as an invention, and the three design principles for the PCM: design by holistics, design by commitments and design by explorations. The research is evaluated as good BPM and good design science research.

The history of mankind has been plagued by an almost continuous chain of various armed conflicts - local, regional, national and global - that have caused horrendous damage to the social and physical fabric of cities. The tragedy of millions deprived by war still continues. This study sets out to understand the nature of reconstruction after war in the light of recent armed conflicts. It attempts to catalogue and discuss the tasks involved in the process of reconstruction planning by establishing a conceptual framework of the main issues in the reconstruction process. The case of Bosnia and Herzegovina is examined in detail and on the whole acts as the leit-motif of the whole dissertation and positions reconstruction in the broader context of sustainable development. The study is organized into two parts that constitute the doctoral aggregate dissertation – a combining of papers with an introductory monograph. In this case the introductory monograph is an extended one and there are six papers that follow. Both sections can be read on their own merits but also constitute one entity. The rebuilding of war-devastated countries and communities can be seen as a series of nonintegrated activities carried out (and often imposed) by international agencies and governments, serving political and other agendas. The result is that calamities of war are often accompanied by the calamities of reconstruction without any regard to sustainable development. The body of knowledge related to post-conflict reconstruction lacks a strong and cohesive theory. In order to better understand the process of reconstruction we present a qualitative inquiry based on the Grounded Theory Method developed originally by Barney Glaser and Anselm Strauss (1967). This approach utilizes a complex conceptualization with empirical evidence to produce theoretical structure. The results of process have evolved into the development of a conceptual model, called SCOPE (Sustainable Communities in Post-conflict Environments). This study proposes both a structure within which to examine post-conflict reconstruction and provides an implementation method. We propose to use the SCOPE model as a set of strategy, policy and program recommendations to assist the international community and all relevant decision-makers to ensure that the destruction and carnage of war does not have to be followed by a disaster of post-conflict reconstruction. We also offer to provide a new foundation and paradigm on post-conflict reconstruction, which incorporates and integrates a number of approaches into a multidisciplinary and systems thinking manner in order to better understand the complexity and dependencies of issues at hand. We believe that such a systems approach could better be able to incorporate the complexities involved and would offer much better results than the approaches currently in use. The final section of this study returns to the fact that although it is probably impossible to produce universal answers, we desperately need to find commonalities amongst different postconflict reconstruction settings in order to better deal with the reconstruction planning in a more dynamic, proactive, and sustainable manner. / <p>QC 20111014</p>

This thesis is a descriptive case study of the first sustainability magnet themed elementary school in the U.S., the Sustainability Academy (SA) in Burlington, VT. The thesis provides an in depth case study narrative of the first pilot year of the SA (2009) as well as an examination of the analytical frameworks for evaluating the efficacy of sustainability movements in schools. A literature review is provided to distinguish between a type of static sustainability that supports the current educational paradigm and a type of sustainable education that identifies sustainability as a moving target and a deep process to transcend the current education paradigm. A step-by-step process for school evaluations of sustainability education is explored and discussed using: 1) the case study research of the SA in their pilot year; 2) the literature review on education and sustainability, systems thinking and school transformation; and 3) the exploration and adaptation of analytical frameworks for sustainability in education.

<b>Background:</b> External Quality Assessment assesses the quality of the structures, processes and outcomes of health facilities using pre-determined standards. South Africa is introducing a national policy on External Quality Assessment, operationalised by a newly established External Quality Assessment agency: the Office of Health Standards Compliance. This thesis seeks to answer three research questions: What is the relationship between External Quality Assessment and patient outcomes (specifically Healthcare Associated Infections) at the specialist-care facility level in South Africa? What are the facilitators of and barriers to health facility performance (i.e. attainment of compliance with standards) in External Quality Assessment at the district hospital level in South Africa? What has been the experience of External Quality Assessment by frontline healthcare workers at the district hospital level in South Africa? <b>Methods:</b> Three systematic literature reviews are conducted that attempt to identify the existing evidence base for the above-mentioned research questions in the international literature. A convergent parallel mixed methods design is used to answer the research questions, comprising an Interrupted Time Series Analysis and a multiple embedded case study of two pairs of health facilities that had undergone External Quality Assessment by the Office of Health Standards Compliance. The Interrupted Time Series Analysis assesses whether an effectiveness relationship can be demonstrated between External Quality Assessment and the Healthcare Associated Infection Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) in eight South African specialist-care hospitals using monthly MRSA data from 2004 to 2014. MRSA is used in this thesis as the proxy patient outcome indicator. In order to answer research questions two and three, I participated in a district hospital External Quality Assessment as a participant observer as well as conducted fifteen in-depth interviews with healthcare workers from two pairs of district hospitals and thirteen in-depth interviews with Office of Health Standards Compliance inspectors. These findings are triangulated with health facility External Quality Assessment reports. <b>Results:</b> No conclusive evidence is found of a relationship between implementation of External Quality Assessment and changes in MRSA. The major theoretical lenses drawn from in the analysis of the qualitative findings are systems thinking theory and regulatory theory. The qualitative research suggests that facilitators of performance in External Quality Assessment in South Africa include strong directional leadership within health facilities, a collaborative organisational culture, a whole systems approach, staff development, incentives, a robust information system and a supportive External Quality Assessment agency. The research also identifies poor alignment of External Quality Assessment standards, under-developed and limited human resources, inadequate decision-making space afforded to district hospital leadership, limited financial resources, the use of penalties and negative staff perceptions of External Quality Assessment as barriers to health facility performance in External Quality Assessment. In unpacking the experiences of South African healthcare workers of External Quality Assessment, this research finds that the work of the Office of Health Standards Compliance is valued by healthcare workers as a potential educational opportunity and is useful in providing the health system with a means to compare health facilities using a standardised tool. The implementation of the Office of Health Standards Compliance's External Quality Assessments requires significant improvement and, in their current form, they have potential unintended negative consequences on healthcare worker motivation as well as potentially, inadvertently encouraging the gaming of External Quality Assessment. <b>Conclusion:</b> The Office of Health Standards Compliance is being set up in such a way that once fully established it will be the primary regulator of quality of care in the South African health system. This thesis attempts to identify some of the strengths and weaknesses of this largely under-researched health system intervention and to contribute to strengthening its implementation.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-05T17:04:33Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 19 / Nenhuma / Em um mercado competitivo e sujeito a mudanças cada vez mais freqüentes, as alternativas para a melhoria dos produtos e processos necessitam ser constantemente avaliadas. Neste aspecto, a tomada de decisão tem grande relevância, principalmente nas decisões estratégicas, pois elas podem determinar o sucesso ou a ruína da empresa, dependendo do grau de risco, incerteza e dos critérios adotados para a tomada de decisão. Freqüentemente decisões são tomadas nas organizações considerando-se experiências em processos similares ou utilizando-se de ferramentas tradicionais. Porém, estas decisões são muitas vezes pontuais, resolvendo um problema específico e esquecendo o restante do sistema. O resultado é a solução de alguns problemas e o agravamento de outros, ou até mesmo o surgimento de problemas inexistentes em tal sistema. Dentro deste contexto, o Pensamento Sistêmico tem grande importância. Nesta pesquisa procurou-se direcionar os critérios para a tomada de decisão dentro do conceito sistêmico, ou seja, visualiza / In a competitive market, subject to frequent changes, the alternatives for improving products and processes need to be constantly evaluated. Here, the decision making has great significance, especially in strategic decisions, as they could determine the success or ruin the company, depending on the degree of risk, uncertainty and the criteria adopted for the decision. Frequently decisions are taken in organizations, considering experiences in similar processes or using traditional tools. However, these decisions are often isolated, by solving a specific problem and ignoring the rest of the system. The result is the solution of some problems and the worsening of others or even the growth of unknown problems in this system. Within this context, the Systems Thinking has great importance. This study sought to address the criteria for decision making within the Systems Thinking concept, by viewing the entire system and sharing this vision for all decision makers. Also within the Systems Thinking, the Scenario Plan

Submitted by JOSIANE SANTOS DE OLIVEIRA (josianeso) on 2018-04-20T13:21:53Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Maria Isabel Wolf Motta Morandi_.pdf: 9044635 bytes, checksum: cf16499a76fe7570811dcc0ffce81e36 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-04-20T13:21:53Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Maria Isabel Wolf Motta Morandi_.pdf: 9044635 bytes, checksum: cf16499a76fe7570811dcc0ffce81e36 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-10-30 / UNISINOS - Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos / As decisões estratégicas visam a operacionalizar a estratégia da empresa a fim de alcançar as metas traçadas, as quais, embora possam ser de múltiplas naturezas, têm como fim maior ampliar os retornos de acionistas e o valor da própria empresa. O processo de orçamentação de capital, mais especificamente a etapa de avaliação e seleção de projetos, fornece bases para escolher as opções de maior retorno. No entanto, os métodos tradicionais apresentam lacunas, em especial no que tange à consideração dos impactos sistêmicos provocados pelo exercício de uma opção estratégica e das incertezas presentes no processo de decisão estratégica. Nesse sentido, o objetivo desta pesquisa é a proposição de um método de avaliação de opções estratégicas de investimento que funcione de maneira sistêmica e dinâmica, ou seja, que considere como as reações dos atores e as incertezas impactam no resultado da opção escolhida. Para tanto, a Design Science Research foi o método selecionado para conduzir esta pesquisa, cujo resultado principal é a proposição e avaliação do método de avaliação das opções estratégicas do NPV sistêmico e dinâmico, ou seja, do NPV resultante da avaliação da opção estratégica considerando a reação dos atores nos diversos cenários futuros. O método desenvolvido foi aplicado em uma empresa do ramo de mineração que atende tanto as heurísticas de construção como as heurísticas contingenciais identificadas no processo de construção do artefato. A aplicação permite avaliar satisfatoriamente o método proposto, bem como identificar possíveis refinamentos. Os resultados obtidos evidenciam que o método proposto traz contribuições teóricas e gerenciais. Do ponto de vista da teoria, aponta-se a proposição do conceito e o construto do NPV sistêmico e dinâmico, bem como a possibilidade de avaliar quantitativamente a significância das incertezas críticas na formulação dos cenários. Do ponto de vista gerencial, a possibilidade de avaliar sistêmica e dinamicamente as opções estratégicas, verificando os efeitos sinérgicos entre elas e a sua robustez frente a diferentes cenários, constitui-se em uma contribuição ao processo de tomada de decisão. / Strategic decisions aim to operationalize the company's strategy in order to reach its goals, which, although it may be of multiple natures, seek to increase the returns for the shareholders and the value of the company itself. The capital budgeting process, more specifically the project evaluation and selection stages, provides the basis for selecting the highest return options. However, the traditional methods present gaps, especially regarding the consideration of the systemic impacts caused by the exercise of a strategic option, and the uncertainties present in the strategic decision process. In this sense, the objective of this research is the proposition of a method to evaluate the strategic options in a systemic and dynamic way, that is, that considers how the reactions of the actors and the uncertainties impact on the result of the chosen option. Design Science Research was the method selected to conduct this research. The artifact is the strategic options evaluation method, which aims to calculate the systemic and dynamic NPV, that is, the taking into account the reaction of the actors in the various future scenarios. The developed method was applied in a mining company that satisfy both the construction heuristics and the contingency heuristics identified in the artifact construction process. This application allowed to satisfactorily evaluate the proposed method, as well as to identify possible refinements. From the results, it was possible to verify both the theoretical and the managerial contributions. From the theoretical point of view, the main contribution is the concept and the construct of the systemic and dynamic NPV. A secondary contribution is a toll to evaluate, in a quantitative way, the significance of the critical uncertainties in the formulation of the scenarios. From the managerial point of view, the possibility of systematically and dynamically evaluating the strategic options, evaluating the synergistic effects between them and their robustness in the different scenarios, constitutes a contribution to the decision-making process.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T20:38:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Nancy Benedita Berruezo Bergami.pdf: 4101776 bytes, checksum: dfc42a12431ae7b49632c0a838c8a780 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-09-24 / By taking the new-paradigm of systems thinking as theoretical basis for understanding the construction of school complaint, we are using a way of perceiving the phenomena of human health that is compatible with the thought which guides the practices in health promotion. Thus, we intend to verify through the achievement of a Program for Health Promotion in School, developed with teachers and with parents and guardians, if there would have a change in the perceptions and expectations of the action for the approach of the school complaints. This study was qualified as a qualitative survey done with teachers, pedagogues, school director and with parents and guardians of pupils of a public school located in the interior of Parana state. The information analyzed stem from responses to the situational questionnaires applied before and after the completion of this program. The Program was built and themes relevant to the reality of the participants and also selected by them. In analyzing the responses, we found that, after participating in the Program, the following changes have occurred: teachers, pedagogues and the school director expanded their perception about the school problem; no longer blame the family coming to recognize the need for research before judging the situation; they identified the problem not only on the individual citizen but also the interactions that this one establishes; they eased the justification of their position overcome the problem; they emphasized the importance of implementing policies directed at peers, integrated and governmental actions, in addition to emphasizing the need to maintain a relationship of good quality with the student; they get themselves involved with the school problem, besides to the student and the family, moreover the family that was the responsible for the problem became the participant of the solution. Parents and guardians included the school among the possible causes of the problem; they were no more viewed as isolated from school nor impugned for lack of ability to maintain the limits for their kids; they perceived themselves able to envision an integrated action between family and school in the confrontation of the problems of children; they began to realize that they have resources to tackle the problem; they added affective measures of teachers to the students in the solution of the problem; they replaced the family responsibility by the recognizing the responsibility of the school about the matter / Ao tomarmos o pensamento sistêmico novo-paradigmático como referência teórica para o entendimento da construção da queixa escolar, estamos utilizando uma forma de compreender os fenômenos da saúde humana que é compatível com o pensamento que orienta as práticas em promoção de saúde. Assim, pretendemos verificar a partir da realização de um Programa de Promoção de Saúde na Escola, desenvolvido com professores e com pais e responsáveis, se haveria mudança nas percepções e expectativas de ação para abordagem das queixas escolares. Este estudo caracterizouse como uma pesquisa qualitativa realizada com professores, pedagogas, diretora e com pais e responsáveis de alunos de uma escola pública localizada no interior do Paraná. As informações analisadas advêm das respostas aos questionários situacionais aplicados antes e depois da realização do referido programa. O Programa foi construído e temas pertinentes à realidade dos participantes, inclusive por eles selecionados. Na análise das respostas, constatamos que, após a participação no Programa, ocorreram as seguintes mudanças: os professores, pedagogas e diretora ampliaram sua percepção sobre o problema escolar; deixaram de culpabilizar a família passando a reconhecer a necessidade de investigação antes de julgar a situação; identificaram o problema não somente no indivíduo, mas também nas interações que este estabelece; flexibilizaram a justificativa do seu posicionamento frente ao problema; enfatizaram a importância de implementar ações dirigidas aos pares, ações integradas e governamentais, além de ressaltar a necessidade de manter uma relação de boa qualidade com o aluno; perceberam-se implicados com o problema escolar, além do aluno e da família, aliás a família passou de responsável pelo problema para participante da solução. Os pais e responsáveis incluíram a escola entre as possíveis causas do problema; não se viram mais isolados da escola e nem recriminados por falta de habilidade em manter os limites para com os filhos; perceberam-se capazes de vislumbrar uma ação integrada entre a família e a escola no enfrentamento dos problemas dos filhos; passaram a perceber que têm recursos para enfrentar o problema; acrescentaram medidas afetivas dos professores para com os alunos na solução do problema; substituíram a responsabilidade da família pelo reconhecimento da responsabilidade da escola sobre o problema