Biofuels have caught the attention of the world as a source of renewable energy which can provide energy security, advance rural development, mitigate climate change, and foster international trade. India developed the National Mission on Biodiesel (NMB) as a rural development policy option to produce biodiesel from Jatropha curcas and promoted it as a pro-poor and pro-growth initiative. This thesis examines the emergence, trajectory, and the consequences of the NMB to assess how the NMB worked as a test development policy programme in India. The thesis focuses on the policy-making process in India, particularly the role of narratives in development policy-making and how it leads to blueprint development. It argues that the narratives supporting the NMB were based on shaky scientific facts and did not represent the needs of the rural people. The thesis takes into account that policy processes involve various actors, networks, their interactions and their knowledge, communication of knowledge and politics. It traces the role of various actors such as policy-makers, bureaucrats, researchers, professionals from private companies and NGOs, farmers, and landless labourers involved in the biodiesel mission. This thesis is anchored in the discipline of Science and Technology Studies (STS) and it draws from Actor Network Theory (ANT) and Social Construction of Technology (SCOT) to analyse how the NMB progressed as a test policy model and whether it really was a ‘pro-poor’, ‘pro-growth’ development initiative. Hence this thesis studies how development narratives were used to promote the biodiesel initiative, how networks were created to establish the biodiesel mission as a policy option and advocate its adoption, and in turn how the NMB progressed as a development initiative. As the thesis draws from SCOT the discussion will emphasise on the practices of a society adopting a technology/development initiative, the importance of users (scientists, policy-makers, farmers, labourers, representatives from the industry and NGOs), how users are represented, and in turn how the NMB had an impact on the people adopting it. This thesis contributes to the understanding of the policy-making process of development renewable policies in India and it also examines the apparent inevitability of technological solutions to development challenges. It also contributes to the literature of narratives serving as ‘blueprints’ for development policy-making. Additionally it adds to the literature on biofuels and reveals the complex nature of regional and national networks that comprise a part of the rising Global Biofuel Network.

The sociotechnical system of print-on-paper for the dissemination of textual information prevails despite widespread concerns about its sustainability. On the basis of sociotechnical transitions theory the print-on-paper system is perceived as a regime. Information technology is identified as one of the generic technologies that has the potential to address the unsustainability of the incumbent regime. Its potential effects are examined through the development of the electronic book, which is defined as those IT applications providing an alternative form of textual display to printed paper. Yet, such applications have remained marginal. According to sociotechnical transitions theory the electronic book can be seen as a niche in relation to the print-on-paper regime. An alternative conceptualisation of transitions as a process of network reconfiguration is suggested. On that basis, the electronic book is depicted as a number of emergent innovation networks. Social Network Analysis methods informed by network approaches to innovation theory are applied to visualise and discuss these emergent networks. In one of the representations, the electronic book is mapped as a sociotechnical network including organisations, users and technologies. It emerges that network formation often transgresses a distinct niche-regime divide. Patterns of network interaction are explored and assessed as to whether they represent a sociotechnical transition in progress. The analysis reveals different patterns of network formation which are indicative of prospective sociotechnical trajectories where different concepts of the electronic book are emphasised. It emerges that the discussion of sustainability and the emergence of the electronic book remain largely unlinked.

Implementation of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) goes beyond a technological modification to automate the identification of US clients and report their information to the IRS. FATCA implementation requires foreign financial institutions (FFIs) to learn the new requirements, to modify their organizational structures and their employees’ relationships and responsibilities, and to adjust the technology that helps the employees collect new FATCA-related information and to process that information so that it can be reported to the IRS in the correct format. In spite of that, research on FATCA implementation has focused on studying each constituent separately. However, according to the information systems (IS) body of research and from a systems thinking perspective, the whole (the bank that is complying with FATCA as a system) is more than the sum of its parts (the information, technology, and social structures that it includes). For this reason, this dissertation argues that in order to achieve an effective FATCA implementation and reduce tax evasion activity, FATCA implementation should be studied from an IS perspective. This will assist in appreciating the complexity of FATCA implementation and compliance and will help practitioners to better anticipate future uncertainties. The dissertation uses actor-network theory (ANT), as it is a socio-technical theory, to investigate the implementation of and compliance with FATCA in a Jordanian local bank. Our interpretation revealed a number of problems in the bank’s compliance initiative; among them were the issues of overlooking technology, information, and the bank’s customers as actors with interests of their own. Accordingly, we provide eight propositions that can enhance the effectiveness of FATCA compliance. Tax-evasion has been shown in the literature to be a predicate crime involving money laundering (ML), i.e., a crime that generates proceeds that need to be treated in secretive ways so that they can be falsely legitimized. We argue in this dissertation that the findings of our case study could provide lessons for the anti-money-laundering (AML) domain in relation to its structurally coupled domain of ML. Thus, we presented some lessons that can be tested in the ML/AML domains.

This paper seeks to describe and explain the social efficacy of art by addressing it as contemporary western infrastructure for social cohesion. Social cohesion refers here not to teleological status quo, but to pluralistic, yet fairly peaceful co-habitation, allowing for gradual change while preserving continuity of the group identity. Employing Actor-Network Theory, this paper views artistic practice as actor-network assemblage process making connections and vehicles that enable movement of ideas, values, visions and dissents throughout the community. Parallel memberships of the same actors in artistic and non-artistic actor-networks create conditions for artistic meanings to “bleed over” also into other spheres of the social life where they can gain efficacy far beyond the “art world”. Art infrastructure operates under particular “regime of art” that suspends some of the “real world” rules and sanctions ambiguity, facilitating less confrontational reconciliation of diverse and contradictory meanings than is customary in e.g. science, religion, politics, economy, railways, sewage or other infrastructures that also have impact on social cohesion. Debates about the definitions of “art” or particular objects’ belonging to “art” emerge in this perspective as debates on the scope of applicability of the “regime of art”, as it may have significant social consequences. By outlining an infrastructural theory of art this paper seeks to fill a theoretical gap in a rather fragmented field of anthropology of art and to propose novel ways to deploy insights from anthropological engagements with infrastructure. Empirical data of this paper come from a five weeks fieldwork in Alaska.

The scientific and socio-political dimensions of volcanic hazards have been realigned since the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in 2010, and have highlighted the need for volcanic activity to be studied from interdisciplinary perspectives. By focussing on communication, adaptability and resilience, this research explains the links between hazard management and social constructivism. The research question asks how Iceland’s networked approach to managing volcanoes can be understood by analysing the development of communication channels between human stakeholders and non-human technical devices and systems. Fieldwork was conducted in both Iceland and the UK, and a mixed methods approach was used to engage with the network. Research methods consisted of semi-structured interviews, participant observations and archival research. Findings explain the evolution of knowledge exchange, the value of technical innovation, and the need for interactions between local, national and international stakeholders. The study concludes that actors are increasingly empowered by the use of participatory technologies within hazard management, and the development of collaborative engagements between stakeholder communities from scientific and socio-political backgrounds. This research is relevant as it illustrates how the adaptive capacity of hazard networks can be expanded, potentially influencing the approaches that are taken to manage volcanic hazards in less economically developed contexts. In addition, this study can encourage continued interaction between scientists, at-risk communities and the aviation industry in multi-hazard environments such as Iceland.

Les opportunités en matière de modélisation et de représentation numérique de territoire en 3D sont démultipliées par les évolutions dans les domaines de la cartographie, de l'infographie, de l'animation ou encore de la CAO/DAO. Dans ce contexte de foisonnement technologique, il a été maintes fois constaté un manque crucial d'études empiriques permettant d'évaluer les utilisations de même que les apports et/ou limites des dispositifs géonumériques 3D dans le champ de l'aménagement. C'est pourquoi une enquête ethnographique a été menée. en participant à la production et à l'utilisation de géovisualisations 3D aux côtés d'aménageurs et en contribuant au développement du champ professionnel associé. La participation à l'action permet d'expérimenter différents outils 3D ainsi que d'observer,d' analyser et de documenter leur production, de même que leurs utilisations. par différents acteurs (producteurs,présentateurs, public). Les études de cas menées dans divers contextes (projets routiers, de développement urbains, de parcs éoliens. PPRi. etc.) montrent les utilisations multiples et successives de maintes géovisualisations 3D. Au·delàdes principes de la Grounded Theory mobilisés pour exploiter les données empiriques, l'analyse repose sur le cadrethéorique de l'Actor-Network Theory ainsi que sur la notion d'objet intermédiaire afin de rendre compte des diverses utilisations des géovisualisations 3D, notamment en contexte collectif, collaboratif et de concertation. Au final, ce travail fournit des outils théoriques et des méthodes pour aborder les géovisualisations 3D et leurs usages et propose des pistes pour faire évoluer l'analyse des représentations spatiales. / Opportunities in terms of digital modeling and representation of territories in 3D have risen with the technological developments in the fields of cartography, infographics, animation and CAD. Within this flourishing technological context. the lack of empirical studies ollowing to evaluate the upsides and downsides of the uses of 3D geoferencedmodels has often been highlighted. Hence an ethnographie study has been conducted by participating in the production processes of 3D geovisualisations and contributing to their uses by urban planners as weil as to the development of the''3D" professional field (through communications, formations, articles, etc.). Taking part in planning projects has been used as a way of experimenting. observing, documenting and analyzing the uses of 3D georeferenced models by their producers. presenters and audiences. Case studies in various contexts {urban development, windfarms development, flood mitigation planning. etc.) show that 3D geovisualisations have myriad and heterogeneous uses. Empirical data have been processed using sorne of the Grounded Theory Principles. Actor Network Theory and the notion of "intermediary object'' allow to analyze the uses of 3D geovisualisations in collective and/or collaborative contexts. Finally. theoretical tools and methods to apprehend 3D geovisualisations and their uses are described and new perspectives on how to anlayse spatial representations are opened up.

Thesis (MTech (Business Information Systems))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019. / The main objective of research is to determine how business processes influenced by corporate strategy can be entrenched in an organisation. Organisations rely on business processes to deliver product and services to customers and meet organisational goals. Several process weaknesses prevail in organisations and impede process performance. Organisations merely focus on technical aspects of the transformation to address efficiency and effectiveness in business processes and tend to ignore the social elements attached to the transformation which bring considerable changes in the employees working environment. Human attitude and behaviour can thus impede process change and entrenchment. As a result, the change endeavour fails, and processes are not entrenched. The study thus gave due consideration to the socio-technical elements because process relies on human intervention to progress at some points. The study aimed to understand and interpret how business processes can be entrenched in an organisation and used a selected organisation in the Western Cape, Cape Town as a case study. To address the main research objective three subordinated objectives were developed and a main research question and three sub-research questions were investigated. Given the human element involved in the process transformation, the phenomenon is a socially constructed reality that can be understood and interpreted using a social theory. Actor Network Theory (ANT) was used as a lens through which to understand and interpret the factors influencing the entrenchment of business processes. It is argued that enterprise resource planning (ERP) influences both technical and non-technical factors involved in process entrenchment and that entrenchment emanates from the alignment of interests of social, process and technology actors. An interpretative paradigm applies to the study where qualitative philosophy was followed together with the underpinning theory. The theory and review of literature were used to develop semi-structured interview schedules to collect opinions from participants. The research participants included twenty-one managers at senior, middle and lower level positions from the Finance, HR and IST departments of the studied organisation. Ethical considerations applied to this research relate to the data collection process and the disclosure of the research findings. Data collection was approved by the institution under study to ensure confidentiality and non-violation of organisation policies. In addition, interview questions were reviewed by senior managers to ensure that the information obtained would not hurt the reputation of the organisation. The research findings revealed that actors need to be transformed and supported to accommodate the change and that the principles of ERP can be implemented as a strategy to lead the process transformation and entrenchment. The research generated a general framework to guide the use of technical and non-technical factors to influence process entrenchment. As such, recommendations are made to actors of process transformation to ensure entrenchment.

Over the past decade banks repeatedly made headlines with severe cases of business misconduct. Several high profile political inquiries sought to ascertain responsibility for the malfeasance but concluded that responsibility could not unequivocally be attributed. Considering that the responsibility principle constitutes a normative element which should guide social interaction, its evasion can lead to social distortions. The purpose of the thesis is threefold. First, it seeks to explore the responsibility practices in banking; second, it considers the mechanisms of responsibility evasion; and third, it discusses the power relations guiding responsible business conduct. Academic research typically considers corporate responsibility from two perspectives. At the meso level responsibility is framed in terms of corporate governance; at the micro level individual and team responsibilities are studied. This thesis offers a different perspective and discusses responsibility in terms of practice, which comprises responsibility constitution and responsibility attribution. In an organisational context responsibility is arranged in terms of role and task responsibilities and corporate culture, while responsibility attributions refer to the interpretations and judgements of social conduct. The analysis draws on the concept of 'agencement' which describes a heterogeneous compendium of different devices that act on and modify each other (Pollock and Williams, 2009). Ontologically, ANT views realities as multiple and fluid and the question of which reality takes precedence is a matter of power relations. For the analysis a methodological tool, the responsibility map, has been developed and applied to three case studies, namely the mis-selling of PPI, trader manipulation of LIBOR and low-balling of LIBOR. Operating under the principles of financialisation, banks have internalised financial benefits while negative outcomes were externalised. Responsibility attribution for the misconduct was systematically evaded. The mechanisms of responsibility diffusion are closely tied to the business strategies: retail banks proceduralised responsibility; it became invested in meeting sales targets. Investment banks operated at the forefront of LIBOR manipulations. Handling the LIBOR rate setting process in an informal manner created responsibility gaps. In both environments the regulatory regimes in place proved ineffective. It is argued that corporate irresponsibility must be considered as a recurrent theme if banking remains organised in terms of financialised business models. The thesis presents a novel approach to the study of organisational responsibility. The methodological tool developed for this research can be adapted to study responsibility in other corporate contexts. Given that the current business models are flawed as they create an environment that condones irresponsible conduct the thesis concludes with suggestions for policy making.

This thesis unpacks the social life of an alternative food "thing". It is empirically grounded in an intensive ethnography and draws on the conceptual resources of Actor-Network Theory (ANT) to narrate alterity as it is manifest in an alternative food network (AFN). Following and tracing British Organic Biodynamic (BOB) wheat, the research weaves through the seed (from breeding to certification), the grain crop's cultivation, harvest and milling, and the final transformations from flour to real bread and its consumption. The storying of the BOB wheat's social life, its social relations and subsequent transformations reveals a persistent blurring of formal distinctions separating 'nature' and 'culture', humans and nonhumans, and production and consumption. Most importantly, it disrupts the traditional categorization of food networks as either 'conventional' or 'alternative'. The analysis of the BOB wheat's social life betrays the imagined purity of alterity of this supposed alternative food network, unveiling a heterogeneous web of hybrid actants and multiple performances of wheats. The analysis reveals a conflict within the BOB wheat network, by demonstrating how performances that are presented as deeply incommensurable are nevertheless inextricably and intimately connected. Consequently, 'conventional', and some 'more-than-conventional', performances threaten to undermine the BOB wheat networks' legitimacy as an AFN. Further, they intimate an ontological impurity that threatens the very possibility of alterity. Accordingly, my analysis narrates the BOB wheat network's efforts to stabilize alterity and expand the collective, through the purification of these incommensurable versions of the wheat. Ultimately, this process of purification works to persistently reconstitute modern ontological binaries, specifically the alternative-convention bifurcations of food networks. To conclude I suggest that this purification, the making and manifesting of alterity, is woven through the contemporary biopolitical dispositive - persistently circulating and remaking, Modern ontological framings of reality as well as the moral and ethical values therein.

A partir da visão de organização como processo busca-se compreender como e por que ocorre o organizar na bioconstrução. A metodologia utilizada segue os pressupostos da Teoria Ator-rede e Depois que traz como conceito central o enactment aliada a discussão de coletivo para iniciar a pesquisa de campo. Os dados empíricos preliminares, obtidos com observação participante em três locais diferentes que trabalham com bioconstrução a partir da visão da Permacultura e analisados a partir da ótica da TAR e Depois que enfatiza as relações de humanos e não-humanos, destacaram a contribuição para o entendimento de prática e cooperação em termos do fazer/pensar indissociáveis. Assim, acrescenta-se na discussão teórica a noção de prática de Schatzki (2005) e a noção de cooperação a partir da proposta de Sennett (2013). Além de observação participante – usada durante toda pesquisa - os dados empíricos foram coletados – em um segundo momento - por entrevistas, questionário e observação não-participante resultando em uma análise temática baseada no entendimento de prática de Schatzki (2005). O texto se desenvolve através de descrição detalhada dos acontecimentos, intercalado com trechos de incursões teóricas que apresentam a assemblege do método conforme pressupõe a TAR e Depois. Com isso, entende-se e descreve-se a bioconstrução como prática de cooperação através das relações entre todos que enactam a bioconstrução – pessoas e a materialidade. Pela ótica da prática, embasada nos dados empíricos, a cooperação está na inteligibilidade prática do organizar da bioconstrução, assim o barro enacta a cooperação, que enacta a bioconstrução, que enacta o barro. Para existir cooperação não é suficiente uma visão comum ou uma moral social, é preciso o fazer/pensar que constitui e reflete, como processo, essa visão. A tese, através de casos empíricos, contribui para as discussões em Estudos Organizacionais sobre o organizar e em Gestão de Pessoas sobre como ocorrem relações de trabalho horizontais, ambos entendendo processo como o que está em constante mudança. Busca também fortalecer o uso da TAR e Depois como prática metodológica e lente de analise inicial, além de discutir a cooperação em termos de prática. A contribuição para o campo social está na sua ontologia política que dá visibilidade à bioconstrução como uma possibilidade de contrapor o senso comum estabelecido para construção de habitações em nossa sociedade atual. Assim como a bioconstrução nos ensina construir algo único com o que temos disponível, sua prática poderá nos ajudar a pensar criticamente a “monocultura da gestão”. / Considering the organization as a process, this thesis seeks to understand how and why is the organizing in the bioconstruction. The methodology follows the assumptions of Actor-Network Theory and After, that brings as a central concept the enactment combined with collective discussion to start the fieldwork. Preliminary empirical data obtained through participant observation in three different locations, working with bioconstruction from the vision of permaculture, and analyzed from the TAR and After optics, emphasizes the relationship of human and non-human, it highlighted the contribution to understanding the concepts of practice and cooperation in terms of doing / thinking inextricably linked. Thus, it was added to the theoretical discussion the notion of practice Schatzki (2005) and the notion of cooperation Sennett (2013). In addition to participant observation - used throughout research - the empirical data was collected - in a second stage – by interviews, questionnaires and non-participant observation resulting in a thematic analysis based on the Schatzki (2005) concept of practice. The text is developed through a detailed description of the events, interspersed with excerpts from theoretical incursions presenting the method assemblege as presupposes the TAR and After. Thereby, it is understood and described bioconstruction as practice of cooperation through the relationships between all that enact bioconstruction - people and materiality. From the perspective of practice, based on empirical data, cooperation is the practical intelligibility of bioconstruction organizing, so the clay enact cooperation, which enact bioconstruction that enact clay. To be cooperation, a common vision or a social morality is not enough, it is needed doing / thinking represents and reflects this view, as a process. The thesis, through empirical cases, contribute to the discussions in Organizational Studies on organizing and Human Resources about how horizontal working relationships occurs, understanding the process as it is constantly changing. It also seeks to strengthen the use of ANT and After as a methodological practice and initial analysis lens, and discuss cooperation in terms of practice. The contribution to the social field is in its political ontology that gives visibility to bioconstruction as a possibility to counter common sense established for housing construction in our present society. As bioconstruction teaches us build something unique with what we have available, this practice can help us thinking critically about the "monoculture of management."