Thesis ( M. Tech. (School of Information Technology )) - Central University of Technology, Free State, 2014 / The aim of this study has been to find out how the community in the remote areas of South Africa access government information. The study is based on four villages, two in the Northern Cape Province (Heuningvlei and Galeshewe) and two in Limpopo Province (The Oaks and Finala). A quantitative design was used. Open and closed-ended questionnaires were used to collect data from the community. Out of 200 questionnaires distributed only 144 responses were received. Responses in the questionnaires were tabulated, coded and processed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) programme. Based on the analysis in Table 4.13, the study showed that 44 percent of the sampled community have access to information through Television which they classified as technology. Shortage of telecentres, distance to telecentres, age, lack of education, monthly income, infrastructure and transport cost were some of the important factors contributing to a lack of access to information. Some of the findings are that most of the telecentres are located far from towns, more than 7 kilometres from the village. Ideally, telecentres should be located near the community, within a short walking distance. It is recommended that provision/establishment for easy access to information and communication services by the Universal Service and Access Agency of South Africa (USAASA) in the remote areas in the Northern Cape and Limpopo province is strongly considered for implementation. This will overcome the gap that exists between the urban and semi-urban communities regarding access to human rights information such as rights to life, equality, freedom of speech, assembly and access to information. It is also assumed that the implementation of telecentres and Internet Cafes, in order to facilitate the adoption of e-government information by people residing in remote areas (semi-urban areas) such as Heuningvlei, Galeshewe, The Oaks and Finala will contribute to better access to human rights. The study also recommends that the service costs charged by the telecentre and Internet Cafes should not be expensive. This will assist the community to afford to pay Internet services. Information is important for decision-making. For this reason, it is recommended that continued campaigns on awareness about the mportance of access to information through telecentres and Internet Cafes should be conducted.

published_or_final_version / abstract / Sociology / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

University of Macau / Faculty of Arts and Humanities. / Department of English

This dissertation analyzes transformation in early 21st century educational practice through the lens of information technology (IT) use at a private, women's university in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Academic and extracurricular Internet use, which is enabled through ubiquitous mobile devices, students' attitudes toward information and communication technology (ICT), and the nature and purpose of their activities in social network sites (SNS) will be discussed alongside critical analysis of peer-to-peer teaching and learning in relation to knowledge production and educational practice. Richly ethnographic discussion delves into emerging global education paradigms that are (re)configuring the experience of women's higher education in Saudi Arabia and influencing women's participation in public, economic, and political spheres from which they might have been previously excluded. This dissertation also seeks to engage bigger questions about young people's intimate relationships with ICTs and the nuances of the networked spaces in which they experience life online as students and citizens coming of age as members of the digital generation.

This dissertation examines significant shifts in the politics of psychiatric resistance and mental health activism that have appeared in the past decade. This new wave of resistance has emerged against the backdrop of an increasingly expansive diagnostic/treatment paradigm, and within the context of activist ideologies that can be traced through the veins of broader trends in social movements. In contrast to earlier generations of consumer/survivor/ex-patient activists, many of whom dogmatically challenged the existence of mental illness, the emerging wave of mad activists are demanding a voice in the production of psychiatric knowledge and greater control over the narration of their own identities. After years as a participant-observer at a leading radical mental health advocacy organization, The Icarus Project, I present an ethnography of conflicts at sites including Occupy Wall Street and the DSM-5 protests at the 2012 American Psychiatric Association conference. These studies bring this shift into focus, demonstrate how non-credentialed stakeholders continue to be silenced and marginalized, and help us understand the complex ideas these activists are expressing. This new wave of resistance emerged amidst a revolution in communication technologies, and throughout the dissertation I consider how activists are utilizing communications tools, and the ways in which their politics of resistance resonate deeply with the communicative modalities and cultural practices across the web. Finally, this project concludes with an analysis of psychiatry’s current state and probable trajectories, and provides recommendations for applying the lessons from the movement towards greater emancipation and empowerment.

No description available.

Thesis (M.A. (African Languages)) --University of Limpopo, 2014 / Refer to the document

As a mechanism for collecting and sharing information, information and communications technologies (ICT) hold immense potential for individuals and institutions in low- and middle-income countries. Currently the distribution and adoption of ICTs--particularly mobile devices--has far outpaced the provision of other household services like clean water, sanitation, hygiene, or energy services. At the same time, the development and deployment of Internet of Things (IoT) devices including cellular- and satellite-connected sensors is facilitating more rapid feedback from remote regions where basic services are most limited. When used in conjunction with economic development or public health interventions, these devices and the feedback they provide can inform operation and maintenance activities for field staff and improve the monitoring and evaluation of outcomes for project stakeholders. This dissertation includes three chapters written as journal articles. While each chapter is framed around the work and research efforts being undertaken by the Sustainable Water, Energy, and Environmental Technologies Lab (SweetLab) at Portland State University, the common thread that weaves all three investigations together is the theme of ICT-enabled programmatic feedback. The first chapter introduces the three theoretical lenses that inform these investigations and the ways that ICTs and the data they provide can (1) serve as more appropriate proxies for measuring access to services, (2) reduce information asymmetries between various stakeholders including communities, governments, implementers, and funders, and (3) enable more robust methodologies for measuring outcomes and impacts of interventions within complex adaptive systems. The second chapter presents a critical review of the methodologies and technologies being used to track progress on sanitation and hygiene development goals. Chapter three describes how simple sensors and weight measurements can be combined with complex machine learning algorithms to facilitate more reliable and cost-effective latrine servicing in informal settlements. Chapter four presents the results from an investigation exploring how near-time feedback from sensors installed on motorized boreholes can improve water service delivery and drought resilience in arid regions of Northern Kenya. Finally, chapter five provides a summary of the three manuscripts and discusses the significance of this research for future investigations.

Orientador: Maria Cristina Gobbi / Banca: Maximiliano Martin Vicente / Banca: Isildinha Martins / Resumo: É um trabalho que visa discutir o emprego estratégico da comunicação organizacional considerando a dinâmica do mundo contemporâneo caracterizada pela revolução das tecnologias da informação e a globalização, tendo como eixo de análise a Força Aérea Brasileira. O que se coloca aqui é uma tentativa de reconhecimento da importância da gestão estratégica comunicacional para o desempenho das organizações. A metodologia empregada para a análise é a combinação térico-prática que envolve a pesquisa bibliográfica e documental com a observação participante e grupos de trabalho. Este estudo se volta para a Força Aérea Brasileira, tendo como ponto de apoio as experiências práticas e os resultados alcançados no processo de apropriação do conceito / Abstract: Is a work at aims to discuss the strategic use of communicational communication considering the dynamics of the contemporary world characterized by information technology revolution and globalization, with central analysis on Brazilian Air Force. What arises that is an attempt to recognize the importance of strategic communication management for the performance of organizations. The methodology used for the analysis is the theoretical and practical combination that involves bibliographic and documental research with participant observation and working groups. This study turns to the Brazilian Air Force, having as support the practical experiences and achievements in the process of appropriating the concept of strategic management of organization communication / Mestre

Thesis (M.S. in Computer Science)--Naval Postgraduate School, December 2003. / Thesis advisor(s): Bert Lundy, Su Wen. Includes bibliographical references (p. 87-90). Also available online.