The aim of this study is to explore disability issues in the Kuwaiti context through a participatory research project with disabled people. Six disabled people participated in this project as co-researchers, and a further eight informants (disabled and non-disabled) contributed to this research as research participants. The thesis initially provides a critical exploration of the dominant conceptualisations of disability, such as the individual and social models and also includes cultural perspectives. The individual model provides an exploration of disability at the biological level, while the social model analyses disability at the socio-economic level (Bhaskar and Danermark, 2006). Cultural perspectives of disability provide an exploration of disability at the socio-cultural level (Danermark and Gellerstedt, 2004).After this exploration, and in relation to the experiences of the co-researchers, the thesis proposes that each of these singular perspectives can only provide limited conceptual effectiveness. The study then goes on to suggest that, rather than reducing the 'problem' of disability to one limited explanation, it is more productive to take an overarching, and more complex and interactional approach to disability that combines the best aspects of individual and social models as well as cultural and societal perspectives. The findings explore a number of disability issues at different levels. The analysis of the discussions with the co-researchers and interviews with the participants of this study emphasise a number of disability issues related to both the body and society. In relation to the body, both the co-researchers and the participants highlight issues and experiences related to the role of impairment in restricting activity, while at the same time acknowledging the roles of society and culture that play a part in disablement. The findings show the complexity of the understandings of disability and challenge the individual model, the social model and cultural perspectives of disability, and show how 'impairment' and 'disability' interact in the lives of disabled people in Kuwait. The thesis argues that an appropriate model for understanding disability in Kuwait is rooted in a critical realist paradigm that views disability from multiple levels, including biological, medical, psychological, socio-cultural and socio-economic levels. The findings also explore the process of participatory research with the co- researchers. In relation to this, the findings highlight the issues of power relations, skills development and reciprocity, decision making processes, sharing the experiences, and the possibility of this research opening the door for further research and changing people's attitudes on disability.

Supply chain literature has increasingly argued that supply chains are being used by a wide range of industries to generate innovations which deliver competitive advantage, and that social factors such as trust and collaboration play a key role in making effective supply chain management (SCM). Closer examination of the research suggests that much of this literature is based on studies of industries which deliver consumer products and these studies are predominantly conducted within a positivist research framework. This research bias has resulted in far less attention being paid to studies of mature industrial markets. This case study seeks to redress such bias by posing an overall question regarding the role of social factors in innovation within a well established supply chain which existed across three mature, capital intensive industries � steel manufacturing, transport and railroad track construction and working outside the positivist paradigm by using a m ultidisciplinary research approach within a �critical realist framework�. In responding to the overall research question, three subordinate questions were explored. Firstly, how well suited are present corporate governance structures of individual organisations to deal with the newly emerging interconnected organisational structures in order to support the generation of innovations within supply chains? Secondly, what has been the impact of the widespread adoption of information technology in generating innovation in supply chains? And thirdly, what is the role played by interorganisational social networks in generating innovations within supply chains? The overall findings were that the social factors played a far more important role than had hitherto been acknowledged in either supporting or inhibiting innovation within supply chains. Corporate governance was seen to generally inhibit innovation between organisations. The claims of much of the SCM literature which asserts a strong link between IT and innovation in supply chains was not supported. In fact, it was found that the majority of subjects preferred to get information through social systems. The role of interorganisational networks (IONs) was found to be most effective at generating incremental innovations aimed at maintaining operational efficiency. A critical realist research approach was able to uncover some difficulties associated with a purely positivist research paradigm which restricts investigation to the empirical level of ontology. The critical realist approach was able to explore social causal mechanisms and structures which were not as readily accessible at the empirical level of inves tigation. It was found that multiple realities existed across the supply chain, and that the positivist assumption of a mono reality which underpins much of the enterprise resource planning (ERP), process management and governance approaches was in fact inhibiting the ability of the social system to be innovative and ultimately driving up costs. In fact a process management approach supported by information technology and operating within present corporate governance structures created conflicting goals which increased complexity. A key finding of this study was how the open social system of the supply chain used dynamic relationships to overcome the rigidities and complexity of a closed systems logic embedded in the formal governance and information systems.

This thesis examines the role of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) task analysis within the context of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) system design. It recognises and critically examines several carrefours that differentiate cognitive from sociocultural task analysis theories in Second Language Acquisition and Human-Computer Interaction. A study into the role of multimodal interaction and second language (L2) vocabulary acquisition revealed the need for an integrative approach to examining learner-computer interaction. In response, a conceptual, situated task analysis framework was developed that promotes (1) a common unit of analysis for principled theoretical investigation and methodological selection; and (2) a formative task analysis framework which considers both software engineering and human-computer interaction practices within CALL system design. / Understanding the extant relationships between learner, theory and practice has become increasingly important in light of recent criticisms of CALL software quality, and its influence on learning outcomes. To further develop our understanding of the role of HCI and Software Engineering in CALL, an empirical exploratory study was undertaken. The design of the study was influenced by research concerning (1) cognitive complexity and language learning; (2) social perspectives on learner-computer interaction; and (3) the intersection between system design, quality, and learner-computer interaction. / Computer-mediated activity in language learning environments can be categorised as a highly social process through its dependency upon a number of sociocultural and environmental contraints. As such, learner-computer interaction is likely to be highly fluid and dynamic. The distinction between static and dynamic environments is a critical determinant when selecting a particular HCI task analysis strategy. To evaluate competing task analysis approaches, a small qualitative study was established that considered the role of multimodal interaction in L2 vocabulary acquisition. Emerging trends from this study served to elucidate the appropriateness of existing HCI theories and their units of analysis within the context of CALL system design. / Participants for this study were selected from an undergraduate Computer Science degree at a major Australian university. Participants had little to no prior knowledge of the L2 used in the study. Participants conducted three sessions with a multimodal speech-enabled language learning tool. After each session, participants completed an immediate recall test and responded to a series of semi-structured interview questions. After an eight week period, participants were asked to take part in a delayed recall and recognition test. Findings from this study showed two distinct trends: (1) a relationship between the degree of multimodal interaction strategy and delayed L2 vocabulary recall and recognition; and (2) the limitations of existing HCI task analysis approaches with respect to analysing learner-computer interaction within the context of CALL system design. As such, this study provided key insights into the role of HCI in CALL, proposing several implications for further research. / Instructed by these findings, research was undertaken to develop an holistic, situated task analysis framework: C.A.S.E (Cognition, Activity, Social Organisation, Environment). Ontological, epistemological and methodological components of the framework are discussed in detail. C.A.S.E provides a conceptual framework for integrating cognitive and social theories on learning, interaction and system design. Consequently, C.A.S.E provides both theoretical and methodological support for bridging the divide between CALL, HCI and Software Engineering. Several applications of the framework relevant to CALL practitioners are described in this thesis. / The outcomes of this investigation establish an agenda for further research. The thesis concludes with a discussion related to CALL system design, specifically the role of Software Engineering in end-user developer CALL activities. To assist readers, additional discussions on Philosophy of Science and Software Engineering have been provided as appendix chapters.

<p>The overall aim of the study is to describe and explain the formation and organisation of interactive media production in Sweden from the 1990s to the end of 2003, the period of the so-called IT boom and crash, through the development of a theoretical model and gathering of empirical material.</p><p>In the theory, interactive media production is conceptualised as a practice in part taking place on a social field structured according to the division and integration of labour within and between firms, and logics and status. It is argued that social fields are formed through the entrepreneurial realisation of opportunity structures resting in pre-existing structural configurations, and through the allocation of resources. The organisational outcome is explained by the structural preconditions, aspects of formation (what, who, how) and firms’ demands for stability and flexibility, creating a set of interrelated positions that firms might occupy.</p><p>Empirical data has been collected from four firm and one individual level survey aimed at interactive media producers in Sweden, conducted between 1997 and 2003. A second data source consists of 8,000 news articles and items focussed on IT and interactive media in Sweden. Third, visual analyses of web sites of firms producing interactive media solutions have been conducted. Finally, interviews with people active within the field have been made.</p><p>The results show that the formation of interactive media production in Sweden should be understood in relation to the Swedish economic crisis of the early 1990s, visions of IT, and beliefs in a societal transition to a new economy and knowledge society. These ideas contributed to allocating massive resources, e.g. state initiatives, increased demands and investment capital, to those producers of interactive media solutions that came to be symbols of the new economy. The abundance of resources caused a rapid growth of firms engaged in interactive media production and a financialisation that led to a speculative bubble and a stock market crash, eventually making the social field dissolve.</p><p>The majority of firms that produce interactive media solutions are small and reach flexibility and stability by having a large proportion of permanently employed skilled workers and extensively participating in collaborations with other firms, including customers. The division and integration of labour follows the logics and clusters of activities that structure the social field: techno¬logy, aesthetics and economy. A large proportion of Swedish organisations have further developed inhouse interactive media operations that taken together are larger than the more visible so-called Internet consultants.</p> / Avhandlingen är också publicerad på Arbetslivsinstitutets webbsida: http://ebib.arbetslivsinstitutet.se/aio/2005/aio2005_16.pdf

The overall aim of the study is to describe and explain the formation and organisation of interactive media production in Sweden from the 1990s to the end of 2003, the period of the so-called IT boom and crash, through the development of a theoretical model and gathering of empirical material. In the theory, interactive media production is conceptualised as a practice in part taking place on a social field structured according to the division and integration of labour within and between firms, and logics and status. It is argued that social fields are formed through the entrepreneurial realisation of opportunity structures resting in pre-existing structural configurations, and through the allocation of resources. The organisational outcome is explained by the structural preconditions, aspects of formation (what, who, how) and firms’ demands for stability and flexibility, creating a set of interrelated positions that firms might occupy. Empirical data has been collected from four firm and one individual level survey aimed at interactive media producers in Sweden, conducted between 1997 and 2003. A second data source consists of 8,000 news articles and items focussed on IT and interactive media in Sweden. Third, visual analyses of web sites of firms producing interactive media solutions have been conducted. Finally, interviews with people active within the field have been made. The results show that the formation of interactive media production in Sweden should be understood in relation to the Swedish economic crisis of the early 1990s, visions of IT, and beliefs in a societal transition to a new economy and knowledge society. These ideas contributed to allocating massive resources, e.g. state initiatives, increased demands and investment capital, to those producers of interactive media solutions that came to be symbols of the new economy. The abundance of resources caused a rapid growth of firms engaged in interactive media production and a financialisation that led to a speculative bubble and a stock market crash, eventually making the social field dissolve. The majority of firms that produce interactive media solutions are small and reach flexibility and stability by having a large proportion of permanently employed skilled workers and extensively participating in collaborations with other firms, including customers. The division and integration of labour follows the logics and clusters of activities that structure the social field: techno¬logy, aesthetics and economy. A large proportion of Swedish organisations have further developed inhouse interactive media operations that taken together are larger than the more visible so-called Internet consultants. / Avhandlingen är också publicerad på Arbetslivsinstitutets webbsida: http://ebib.arbetslivsinstitutet.se/aio/2005/aio2005_16.pdf

This thesis seeks to explain social participation in pre-schools for children with and without Down’s syndrome. The explanation is achieved by use of an explanatory model of social participation, designed on the basis of critical realism, which has been used in an empirical study of how social participation emerges in practice. Mechanisms have been abstracted. It is assumed that recognition mechanism produces social participation and reification mechanism social exclusion. The results show that the agency of the personnel affects the possibilities for the recognition mechanism to produce social participation. Within the agency of the personnel, the internal relationship between the child perspective, i.e. how children's place in society is understood, and the relationship to the child's perspective, i.e. how children's participation is regarded, either prevents or makes possible activation of the mechanism. The child perspective has, through the empirical study, been seen to take two different forms: either that children are similar, with similar needs, or that they are different, with different needs. If children are defined as similar, the structures will accommodate all children, enabling them to be socially involved in the same activities. If children are defined as different, different structures are created for different groups of children. Groups are segregated from each other, preventing the children from being socially involved in joint activities. The relationship to the child's perspective has emerged in relation to the roles of the child as an agent, as a collective subject, and as an individual subject. The role definition affects the degree of constraint imposed on the possibilities for action that are offered, and thus affects the opportunity costs and degrees of freedom of the children. These determine the activation of recognition mechanism and social participation in the situation.

Values theorists across disciplines agree that understanding and applying the phenomenon of organizational values is integral to organizational effectiveness (Beck, 1990; Davidson, 2005; Francis & Woodcock, 1990; Lafleur, 1999; Richmon, 2003, 2004). Consensus on this issue is further evidenced by popular use of the phrase “organizational values” in management, school systems, and university administrative parlance, leading many to believe that organizational values have been thoroughly investigated in the field of educational administration and elsewhere (Richmon, 2004). However, research in this area tends to be superficial, and a review of pertinent literature reveals no clear definition of organizational values or consequent implications for practical application. Since the practice of articulating organizational values is commonly conducted as a part of strategic planning processes, much activity and substantial investment is then occurring without full understanding of the phenomenon at hand. The purpose of this study was to uncover the descriptive, non-negotiable reality of organizational values in a particular context: university student services and administration. A critical realist’s methodology informed the development and implementation of a three-phase study. The aims of this research at each phase were to: (a) investigate how the reality of the organizational values phenomenon has been depicted theoretically in interdisciplinary research and literature; (b) examine how the concept of organizational values has been expressed in policy-driven artefacts in university student services; and (c) explore how the theoretical characteristics of organizational values are expressed in context of individual, phenomenological experiences of university student services and administration. The methods of inquiry used at each respective phase of study were cluster analysis, textual analysis, and episodic narrative interview. Additionally, model development was utilized during each phase of study to analyze the research results, and a comparison of models was conducted at the conclusion of the study as an approach to triangulation. Five key findings emerged from the collective analysis of all three phases of study. First, there was an indication of linguistic and structural inadequacy pertaining to organizational values discourse. Second, the activity associated with the organizational values concept is most frequently located in terms of personal working relationships rather than in context of institutional strategic planning processes. Third, administrative leaders play a key role in ensuring consistency with respect to organizational values understanding and implementation in university student services and administration. Fourth, a deep reality of the organizational values phenomenon was demonstrated at all phases of research. Finally, the idea of organizational values is important enough to scholars, policy makers, and front-line staff alike to warrant a great deal of time, financial, and human resource effort invested to engage explicitly with the concept in some manner. The results of this study have significant implications for both theory and practice in university student services and administration. The results informed recommendations made with respect to the development of fluency in values-related language, re-situating the process of articulating organizational values in university administration, incorporating organizational values into day-to-day administrative practice, and the role of university administrative leaders in organizational values work.

Over the last few decades, thermal treatment of municipal solid waste (MSW) has been strongly opposed in North America. The reasons for public opposition are complex and could vary from community to community. Typically, public antagonism towards thermal treatment option is clearly revealed during the planning process of energy-from-waste facilities. Concepts such as NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) have become synonymous with the siting of MSW thermal treatment facilities. Given the highly controversial nature of such projects, effective organization and conduct of the municipal planning process is of high importance. The literature suggests that public opposition can be fuelled by the perception of unfair outcome and unfair planning process. Therefore, the equity dimension of the planning process has gained importance. This research explores the planning processes surrounding the development of thermal treatment plants for MSW in the province of Ontario, Canada by focusing on the equity dimension. The research aims to reveal the role and the nature of substantive equity, procedural equity, and cost and time efficiency, as well as the role of contextual elements in planning processes. Additionally, the research intends to provide recommendations on the effective incorporation of the equity dimension into the waste management planning processes. Through a review of the literature on planning controversial facilities with a focus on waste disposal plants, it was revealed that the clear delineation of substantive and procedural equity as well as the identification of the main elements that fall under these notions are absent. Different studies present various elements of substantive and procedural equity, but they fall short in consolidation and analysis of linkages among the elements. In addition, it was revealed that the study of the contextual elements in relation to substantive and procedural equity has been quite limited. Three research questions were identified that were informed by two assumptions derived from the consulted literature. To answer the research questions, three cases of planning thermal treatment plants in Ontario were investigated using qualitative research methods. The first case studied the Halton region thermal treatment project that was initiated in 2006 but was soon dropped without reaching the stage of full environmental assessment. The second case study focused on the Niagara-Hamilton thermal treatment project that was a joint effort between the city of Hamilton and the regional municipality of Niagara to find a local solution to the waste problem. An environmental assessment was conducted; however, before its completion the parties decided to stop the project and concentrate on other waste management alternatives. Finally, the third case studied the Durham-York thermal treatment project that underwent a full environmental assessment process and is currently close to completion. This research contributes towards expanding the conceptual discourse about the role of equity in planning waste disposal facilities with a particular emphasis on thermal treatment plants. More specifically, the thesis contributes towards delineating the notions of substantive and procedural equity and distinguishing their elements. It introduces the notion of context and explores those contextual elements that influence substantive and procedural equity during planning processes for thermal treatment facilities. As a result, the thesis develops a comprehensive analytical framework that consolidates the major elements that fall under the domains of substantive equity, procedural equity, and context that have previously been dispersed in the literature. In addition, the research establishes linkages among the elements within each domain and across domains. Based on the findings of the case studies, the notion of distributional equity is reconsidered. Whereas the distributional aspect of the equity dimension is undoubtedly important, the thesis concludes that the substantive equity should go beyond the locational aspect of planning. The existence of cross-domain linkages and their importance and diversity confirms that the notion of equity should be studied and discussed in broader terms which acknowledge not only procedural or distributional issues, but also contextual elements and efficiency questions. The existing scholarship places particular emphasis on locational considerations (siting) and procedural issues; however, it fails to present a comprehensive and multidimensional view of equity and explain how this is embedded within the broader context. This research is an attempt to present equity with all its diversity and complexity and build a foundation upon which further work in this direction can be conducted. More broadly, this research contributes to the better understanding of the perceptions and motivations behind public opposition towards infrastructure projects, and particularly waste management facilities. Given the complex nature of public opposition phenomenon, the research addresses the need to build an in-depth understanding of public motivations and perceptions that shape attitudes towards proposed projects.

The value creating mechanism of business networks has been acknowledged in research (Casson &amp; Della Giusta, 2007, p. 221; Granovetter, 1973; Jones, Hesterly &amp; Borgatti, 1997, p. 912). Within small business research, focus has been on network structure (Jack, Moult, Anderson &amp; Dodd. 2010, p. 317; Shaw, 2006, p. 5; Curran et al., 1993, p. 13), disregarding dynamic factors such as network content, strength and processes. Network studies within start-up businesses have received attention (Witt, 2004, p 392); hence limited research exists concerning more well-established small businesses’ networks. These research gaps will here be addressed from the perspective of a smaller business, a micro business, at a stage of firm maturity. Small business research suffers from methodological fragmentation and underdevelopments, favoring positivistic and quantitative methods (Blackburn &amp; Kovalainen, 2009, p. 128-129). To address this, this research seeks to explore qualitative alternatives, which can be increasingly fruitful for the small business field when studying networks (Jack et al., 2010, p. 317). Recognizing the social and contextual embeddedness of the micro business and its sensitivity to external changes (Curran &amp; Blackburn, 2001, p. 7), this research opts for a qualitative in-depth case study to explore these contextual mechanisms. This research adopts a critical realist stance using ethnographic and process research methods of grounded theory, taking the sequence of events into account in the analysis. This present research combines strands of research of core disciplines (sociology) to newer disciplines (entrepreneurship) to produce a conceptual mapping. This deductive conceptual mapping is used as basis for the data collection and as a tool for analysis in this by nature inductive study. This study finds that network tie content and strength deepen the understanding of networks and their maintenance, beyond the static mapping of structure. Network tie content and strength does influence structure and is in turn influenced by context. This provides answer to why the network appears as it does. The appearance of the mature micro business’ network indicates that growth ambitions can be inhibited by contextual factors such as limited access to new opportunities. This present study finds and agrees with Van Maanen (2011a, p. 226-227) that the single case study and ethnographic observant-participant methods, often criticized for not producing substantial findings, are informative as they allow exploring the influence of contextual factors. The intended audience of research academics and local/regional/national entrepreneurship policy makers should recognize that research which enhances tools for apprehending contextual factors can provide interesting results. The research design disregards generalization capabilities in favor of accounting for the research process of the researcher and its subject. This is argued to give a fruitful version of truth of network appearance in terms of content and strength and why it appears as such.

Since the early 1970s, regulation theory have analysed the restructuring of capitalist economies in historical time. As early studies within that political economic research were againt the structural-functionalism explicit in Marxist theories of capitalism at the time on the one hand, and the closed theoretical system of neoclassical economics on the other, regulationists soon resorted to an open-method analysis of stylised facts. Such a method is none other than a middle-range theory. This study touches upon Boyer&rsquo / s and Jessop&rsquo / s arguments on the antithetical consequences of this middle-rangeness for further as well as former theoretical research within regulation theory and their particular scheme of infl&eacute / chissement for that political economic heuristic in institutionalist and integral economic terms.