Context. One of the challenges in requirement engineering is the ability using survey as a requirement-engineering tool towards the software to refine user’s requirements. For instance, with the development of the way of healthcare, many advances in technology transformed the way of healthcare. E-health application is one of the technologies. As more and more health information that is stored electronically, e- health applications have given rise to trust issue in the area of data sharing. Identified the relationship between trust and data sharing based on the survey method is a valid approach, but the current studies still do not give a definite guideline about how requirement engineering should use a survey method step-by-step to refine the needs of users’ trust into software attributes. Based on the mentioned situation in e-health, defining a method to design survey to elicit requirements is needed. Objective. In this paper, the aim of the study is to design a survey method for refining user’s requirements of trust in requirement engineering based on the current state-of-art. The paper present the research on data sharing in e-health application. Methods. This study presented an action research, which identified the way about how to refine user’s requirement of trust. Survey was the main approach to do investigation among the e-health applications. Three cycles of AR were conducted in this paper, and three versions of questionnaires were designed in the research process in order to identify the factors that affected user’s trust in data sharing in e-health applications. Results. Through the action research, I found out three factors that affected user’s trust in data sharing, then the factors were identified, analysis and summarized, and the relationship between trusts and the factors is describe based on analysis results of the collected data, which obtain from the improved questionnaires. To find out the relationship between trust and the factors help present the process that how to design an accurate survey to refine user’s requirements. Based on the process and results of the action research, the survey guideline to refine user’s requirements of trust is designed and described. Conclusions. Based on the results that obtained in this study, I designed a preliminary survey guideline for refining user’s requirements of trust. This study will help requirement engineering to elicit requirement of trust in e-health based on a new and specific survey method.

The research presented in this thesis investigates the concept of sustainability in relation to mobile learning initiatives. Sustainability is seen as a key concept for mobile learning to gain acceptance. In linking sustainability to scalability, a term used to describe how well something can grow to suit an increasing complexity, a representation of this process is provided. In this thesis, this process is called ``the quest for equilibrium.'' A study was conducted of an actual mobile learning initiative that involved introducing podcasts as a supplement to traditional lectures in higher education. In following this initiative, thorough data gathering was conducted, utilizing the process of iterative cycles that characterizes the action research approach. In accordance, a literature survey was conducted, whereby leading publications in mobile learning were classified and analyzed according to the following criteria: Reflections, Frameworks, Scalability, and Sustainability. As the mobile learning system evolved from idea to an actual empirical study, trying to understand this process became important. The insights gained during this research were used to develop a conceptual model that is based on the notion that the two concepts of Scalability and Sustainability can be linked to each other. This conceptual model is presented describing how a mobile learning system evolves, from Idea, to Experiment, to Project, to Release. Further, each of the stages in this evolution is described by using four areas of concern: Technology, Learning, Social, and Organization. Using the experience from a specific mobile learning initiative to define a conceptual model that then is used to describe the same initiative, was a way to bring together practice, theory, and research, thus provide reliable evidence for the model itself. The conceptual model can serve as a thinking tool for mobile learning practitioners, to help address the complexity involved when undertaking new efforts and initiatives in this field.

This PhD thesis was developed in the context of contemporary challenges within water policy and governance; specifically the issue of managing diffuse pollution risk in fresh water catchments. As highlighted in the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) diffuse pollution poses a major risk in many European catchments where the sustainability of the ecosystems and water uses is compromised by intensive agriculture. The challenge for catchment management is the tricky nature of diffuse pollution. It is what you would term a ‘wicked problem’ or ‘Post Normal Science’ wherein the facts are uncertain, values are in dispute, stakes are high and decision-making is urgent (Funtowicz and Ravetz, 1993; Patterson et al., 2013). In response to the WFD the UK Government have proposed the Catchment Based Approach (CaBA) which represents a paradigmatic shift in approaches to water management; from a ‘command and control’ approach (i.e. the historic practice of direct regulation) to a participatory governance approach (i.e. devolution of power and involvement local stakeholders) (Dryzek, 2005; Müller-Grabherr et al., 2014). The project had two aims. The practical aim was to identify the drivers and barriers to delivering the CaBA. The academic aim was to employ the relational concept of ambiguity to explore why and how catchment stakeholders understand, frame and respond to diffuse pollution risk differently. In order to address these aims Timothy embedded himself in Loe Pool Forum (www.loepool.org) for four years. Loe Pool Forum (LPF) are a voluntary catchment partnership, based in West Cornwall, working to address the risk of diffuse pollution through taking a CaBA at the WFD waterbody scale. The methodology was directed by Participatory Action Research (PAR) and underpinned by ethnography. PAR enabled Timothy to work collaboratively to engender positive change within LPF while ethnography generated data upon how partnership and participatory working happens in practice. New insights into the geographies of risk stemmed from the application of ambiguity as the conceptual lever. Ambiguity is a dimension of uncertainty which accounts for the relational properties of risk. Ambiguity is defined as the simultaneous presence of multiple frames of reference about a certain phenomenon (Brugnach et al., 2007). Timothy examined ambiguity from three different directions. Firstly, where the ambiguities are in catchment management and how local partnerships negotiate them. Secondly, how risk frames are produced by both water scientists and the agricultural community. Thirdly, what the drivers and barriers are to delivering the CaBA. By thinking through risk relationally this thesis provides new insights into the practice of catchment management and the socio-cultural geographies around the water-environment.

Les conflits et les comportements de résistance des utilisateurs représentent une des difficultés managériales majeures lors de l’implémentation des Systèmes d’Information (SI). Bien que de nombreuses études de SI abordent la résistance et les conflits des utilisateurs en anticipant, en minimisant, ou même en amplifiant ces comportements négatifs, peu de recherches ont pris en compte les mécanismes de contagion des conflits et ont examiné pourquoi et comment les utilisateurs résistent de manière comparable à des projets de Technologie de l'Information (TI) entièrement différents. La littérature en SI semble limitée quant à l'impact des comportements de résistance survenus dans le passé sur le nouveau projet TI. Or, les gestionnaires doivent être en mesure d’anticiper les causes potentielles de l'échec du projet en raison des comportements de résistance en cours, mais aussi à cause des résistances apparues dans le passé et qui perdurent ou sont susceptibles de réapparaître. Pour les chercheurs et praticiens en SI, cette recherche met en lumière les liens entre des problèmes liés aux conflits actuels et antérieurs survenus dans le portefeuille de projets TI d'une entreprise. Pour cela, nous mobilisons, en particulier, les théories de la contagion et de l’inoculation qui n’ont été à ce jour que faiblement utilisées dans le domaine des systèmes d’information. La partie empirique consiste en un projet de recherche-action de trois ans réalisé chez Efficient Innovation Corporation (une société française de conseil en management de l’innovation). Tout d'abord, mes observations révèlent que les employés qui expriment des conflits axés sur les tâches vers un projet de déploiement TI sont susceptibles d'utiliser une stratégie de contournement dissimulant des conflits sociopolitiques. Deuxièmement, nous avons pu identifier un phénomène de contagion de conflits entre deux projets TI malgré leurs fortes différences en termes d’objectifs, de périmètres fonctionnels et d’utilisateurs. Troisièmement, les techniques « d’inoculation » que nous avons pu mettre en œuvre ont permis d’enrailler voire de limiter la diffusion de comportements de résistance envers les TI. Le message sous-jacent de cette thèse est de considérer les comportements de résistance antérieurs et la contagion des conflits comme des processus clés intégrés à l’implémentation des TI. A cet effet, nous introduisons le concept de “Resistance Path Dependency”, puis nous proposons un modèle conceptuel du mécanisme de contagion possible des conflits entre différentes équipes et projets TI. / User conflicts and resistance behaviours represent one of the major managerial difficulties during Information Systems (IS) implementation. Although numerous IS studies tackle user resistance and conflicts by anticipating, minimising or even amplifying these negative behaviours, little research has taken into consideration the contagion mechanisms of conflicts and examined why and how users similarly resist to entirely different Information Technology (IT) projects. The IS literature is sparse on addressing the impact of resistance behaviours that occurred in the past on the new IT. IS managers need to anticipate potential causes for project failure because of ongoing resistance behaviours toward the new IT, but also because of resistance behaviours occurred in the past and persist until today, or are likely to reappear. For IS researchers and practitioners, my research gives greater attention to issues related to current and prior conflicts occurring in a firm’s IT project portfolio. Therefore, we particularly mobilise the theories of contagion and Inoculation which have been so far weakly used in the field of information systems. The empirical part consists of a three-year action research project conducted at Efficient Innovation Corporation (a French management consulting firm). Firstly, my observations reveal that employees expressing task-oriented conflicts towards an IT deployment project were likely to use a bypassing strategy, hiding socio-political conflicts. Secondly, we were able to identify a phenomenon of conflict contagion between two IT projects despite their strong differences in terms of objectives, functional perimeters and users. Thirdly, the "Inoculation" techniques that we implemented succeeded to stall and limit the diffusion of resistance behaviours toward IT. The underlying message of this thesis is to consider prior resistance behaviours and conflict contagion as key processes integrated into IT implementation. Accordingly, we introduce the concept of "Resistance Path Dependency", and propose a conceptual model of possible conflict contagion mechanisms between different teams and IT projects.

Alla kommer dagligen i kontakt med prestanda. Vare sig det är att köra bil eller att starta sin TV i hemmet så finns det prestanda i dessa av en viss mängd vilket resulterar i hur snabbt bilen accelererar och hur mycket den orkar med, eller hur snabbt TV:n startar och byter kanal. Detta är två olika scenarion där de flesta troligtvis bryr sig mer om bilscenariot. Detta kan dock förändras helt plötsligt när det tar tio sekunder att byta kanal på sin TV. Man kan då säga att prestanda inte prioriterats och att kunden då blir lidande. Utifrån dessa scenarion kan man se hur viktigt prestanda kan vara, även i vardagliga situationer som vi inte ens reflekterar över. Det är just detta som vi vill belysa och hjälpa till med i denna undersökning - att identifiera hur man kan säkerställa att sina applikationer uppfyller prestandakrav. I undersökningen har vi tillämpat aktionsforskning och utgått ifrån aktuella teorier inom testning genom en litteraturstudie av vetenskapliga artiklar inom ämnet såväl som facklitteratur. För att vidare verifiera detta så genomfördes även en intervjustudie hos Transportstyrelsen. Vi har i undersökningen identifierat att det finns ett tydligt behov i många applikationer av just prestandatester. Andra viktiga saker som framkommit är att det kan vara svårt att genomföra prestandatester på ett tillräckligt omfattande sätt och att det kräver tillgång till automatiserade verktyg för att underlätta testningen. Studien har resulterat i riktlinjer för vilka prestandatester som bör utföras, vem som bör utföra dessa, när de bör genomföras, vilket verktyg som kan användas och sist varför man bör göra just dessa. Genom att följa dessa riktlinjer så kan man motivera sin prestandatestning för projekten samt avgöra utifrån dessa om prestandatestning bör genomföras i ett specifikt projekt.

Government leaders stand to benefit from improved program management capabilities within their organizations. Often, they are faced with crisis situations that require a rapid-fire, precise, effective problem solving process. Some of these programs are more severe or complex than others. With time and certainty of the solution as constraints, efficient program management supporting the Defense Acquisition Life Cycle remains an enigma for organizations at best and a hazard at worst. Program management dealing with crisis problem solving, which is characterized by critical events and high cost, is a real-time process where requirements are identified and resolved to achieve a desired goal, with the path to the goal blocked by known or unknown obstacles. Program management that deals with crisis problem solving situations are plagued by several issues. The crisis situation is likely one not previously encountered; therefore, solutions from past experiences cannot be drawn upon to solve the problem (Heichal, 1992). An individual not experienced or trained often feels the situation is too complex, information is incomplete, time is short, and failure consequences are extreme (Hockey, 1986). Managers who face these dilemmas must have responsive, failure-proof processes in place. This dissertation explores program management as it deals with problem solving processes in time-critical contexts, including task consolidation and resource selection, with the critical objective of improving crisis event management. The intent is to focus on processes that can be improved in crisis problem solving, specifically time needed to execute current problem solving processes, and introduce a kinetic problem solving approach to increase the momentum of implementing the solutions during crisis situations. This flexibility is facilitated by the researcher’s genuine desire to improve the organizational situation (rather than merely study it) and a client’s willingness to share the details of how they will use the technology and lessons learned.

Empirically, this thesis has focused on nine research and development (R&D) networks set up to promote a professional approach to care and strengthen the collaboration between health care sectors in a Swedish health care setting. The research project was embedded in an action research approach intended to encourage network development by means of a dialogical process. The specific research question was: What are the actors‟ perceptions of knowledge networks and how might we account for the networks‟ evolution, role and ways of working? Bourdieu‟s concepts reproduction and symbolic violence were used as analytical tools and were chosen as a way of answering and explaining the empirical story line. Data was collected by use of a multi-method approach consisting of 39 interviews, observations, document review and reflexive notes. The intention was to elicit data that supported both network development and the theoretical explanation to come. It appeared that the networks concerned had several advantages, such as being a forum for internal dialogue and exchange of experiences. In addition, two main patterns emerged: Firstly, most of the participants within the networks were advocates of a linear top-down model of implementation of evidence-based knowledge into practice. Secondly, they experienced inertia in the transfer process. From the collaborative process undertaken it emerged that their linear top-down model of knowledge transfer seemed to be firmly rooted. Theoretically, the thesis contributes to an understanding of why the process of knowledge transfer was considered by the participants within the networks to be a sluggish process. The thesis also contributes to an explanation of why they adhered to the macro-discourse of evidence-based medicine at the expense of involving practitioners outside the networks in horizontal patterns of exchange. It is argued that the networks had a symbolic value and were also a product of and reproduced the evidence-based discourse and the prevailing structures within their field. This contrasted with the role of networks as arenas for generation of local knowledge in the network literature. A major challenge facing health care sectors is that of how to support practitioners in the incorporation of new practices resulting in actual changes.

L'enseignement/apprentissage du français au lycée scientifique en Italie. Pratiques de classe et création de supports appropriés.Cette thèse porte sur l'étude des langues vivantes étrangères dans les établissements du secondaire en contexte italophone. L'objectif de ce travail a été de mener une réflexion sur l'enseignement/apprentissage du français au lycée scientifique, tout en focalisant l'attention sur l'attitude des apprenants face à des tentatives d'initiation à la langue de spécialité complémentaires au développement des programmes scolaires consacrés, notamment, à l'histoire littéraire. Nous avons émis l'hypothèse générale stipulant qu'« il est possible d'envisager l'organisation de séances au cours desquelles l'apprenant, s'exprimant en français, se livre à des tâches susceptibles de le motiver, lui permettant de connaître le discours et le milieu d'action propres aux futurs professionnels dans le domaine scientifique et médical ».L'hypothèse en objet a été testée par le biais d'une recherche-action qui a eu lieu en contexte institutionnel. Cette approche a été fondée sur l'utilisation de tâches, choisies/conçues selon le niveau des apprenants, liées surtout à des situations auxquelles les destinataires étaient susceptibles de se confronter dans la vie de tous les jours. La presque totalité du travail a été effectuée grâce à l'emploi des TIC.Les résultats ont prouvé l'efficacité de la recherche de terrain et en ont témoigné l'appréciation de la part des jeunes apprenants concernés. Par conséquent, l'ambition de cette thèse est de contribuer à nourrir le débat sur l'utilité de l'étude de deux langues vivantes étrangères dans les établissements du secondaire italiens, en harmonie avec les dispositions du Conseil de l'Europe, de même que de dégager les étapes d'un cheminement éducatif menant à l'acquisition des habiletés linguistiques nécessaires lors de séjours d'études/de travail en pays francophones pendant les années à venir. / This Thesis deals with the study of foreign languages within the Italian High School System.The goal of this work is to draw the attention to the way of teaching/learning French at High School (option maths and science), focusing on the students' attitude while learning a second foreign language, as well as to outline some new educational tools likely to replace the old fashioned ones still in use.In order to achieve this goal, we examined and tested a general hypothesis, stipulating whether “it is possible to set up sessions during which the learner is involved in seemingly motivating activities, and, while expressing himself in French, manages to learn the language and environment of a specific field, familiar to his future professional scientific and medical world”. Such hypothesis was tested following up an experimental action research, that took place within an institutional context. This approach was supported by targeted assignments, based on everyday life situations, then given to the students according to their level of knowledge of the language. Most of the work was carried on thanks to TIC. The results confirmed the effectiveness of the research on this ground, and showed the appreciation of some of the young participants. Consequently, the aim of this Thesis is to contribute to the discussion concerning the need of studying two foreign languages at the Italian High School, in line with the dispositions given by the Counsel of Europe, as well as to follow the steps of the educational training leading students to acquire all the language skills to study or work abroad.

Abstract A trivial information system consists of three components: a user, a container for the information and a tool to manage the information. The focus of this research is more complicated with several users and organisations, with several databases in those organisations and with an inter-organisational information system. In inter-organisational information systems information flows across boundaries and the boundaries as well as information itself must be carefully taken into account. This research takes seriously the users who represent different professions and who were more or less involved in the information system implementations. In a distributed project, also the container is under special attention. That is discussed in the dissertation, as well. The approach in the research is mainly interpretative and subjective. The empirical material comes from several cases but three of them acted as a background for the main case that was conducted in an academic environment. The case appeared to be versatile due to its many stakeholders and it offered several topics to be explored. The goal of the research was introduced in a meeting to the attendees: "The aim of the thesis is to describe how a joint information system of different universities was finally implemented or why it wasn't." This introduction predicted challenges that were to be overcome during the subsequent years. In addition to the versatile case, also the information system implementation offered fruitful viewpoints for the research. Inter-organisational information system projects are described in literature to some extent. This case contributes the research with the many organisations and users that were involved in the development project. Furthermore, the information system was planned to be built on ready-made specifications and it increased the challenges to succeed. This led to the lesson that a new model to be used in information system developments is needed because existing models do not support this kind of development process. The research supports the concept that action research and design science complement each other especially in development projects when the output is an information system that has been implemented in collaboration with several users and stakeholders. The results of this thesis emphasise the need to manage potential competition between participating organisations, lack of interaction between parties and security and user authentication. Proper project management is needed with active and confidential terms between all project members. In addition, flexible working routines are found workable.