Knowledge management is in the ever-changing environment and previous research argues that the survival and growth of organizations in such changing environment is dependent upon effective utilization of information and knowledge. Although knowledge management has developed over long time, both in research and in practice, its recognition as a discipline is still debated and there are few models substantial enough to be used in practice. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate and identify factors that facilitate or hinder an implementation of a successful knowledge management concepts. Even though knowledge management and change management has received a lot of attention in research, there is still need for further understanding of the implementation of knowledge management concepts. This study relies on an abductive approach of qualitative nature and the research design is a case study. The strength of this research is the empirical material underlying the results of this study that can be concluded in the importance of two main themes, organizational culture and organizational structure. Our result emphasizes the importance of the following enablers; large network, workshops and documentation, a person responsible for compiling and adjusting the lessons learned, lessons learned connected to a person, and allocation of time and cost. Further, our result emphasizes the following inhibitors; perceived culture does not match actual culture, information and knowledge is often kept within project boundaries, too much administration, and a time consuming and costly process. The main inhibitor is that project based organizations often tend to focus on direct value, but when implementing new knowledge management concepts, the direct costs will be higher and more visual than the direct value. Implementing a knowledge management system will create direct value, but the largest gain is the creation of long-term value when the knowledge management system is established and well-functioning. / Kunskapshantering befinner sig i en ständigt föränderlig miljö och tidigare forskning hävdar att överlevnad och tillväxt av organisationer i en sådan föränderlig miljö är beroende av ett effektivt utnyttjande av information och kunskap. Även om kunskapshantering har utvecklats under lång tid, både i forskning och i praktiken, diskuteras fortfarande ett erkännande som disciplin och det finns få modeller som är tillräckligt omfattande för att användas i praktiken. Syftet med denna studie har därför varit att undersöka och identifiera faktorer som underlättar samt hindrar implementationen av nya kunskapsbaserade koncept. Även om kunskaps- och förändringshantering har fått stor uppmärksamhet i forskning, finns det fortfarande behov av ytterligare förståelse för implementationen. Denna studie bygger på ett abduktivt angreppssätt av kvalitativ karaktär och utförs fortsättningsvis i form av en fallstudie. Styrkan av studien är det empiriska materialet som ligger till grund för resultaten som vidare kan konkluderas i två huvudteman, organisationskultur och organisationsstruktur. Vårt resultat betonar vikten av följande möjliggörare; omfattande nätverk, workshops och dokumentation, en ansvarig för sammanställandet och anpassningen av lärdomar, koppla lärdomen till en person, samt fördela tid och kostnad i ett tidigt stadie. Vidare betonar vårt resultat följande hämmare; uppfattad kultur matchar inte den faktiska kulturen, information och kunskap hålls ofta inom projektgränserna, för mycket administration, samt en tidskrävande och dyr process. Den övergripande slutsatsen är att projektbaserade organisationer ofta tenderar att fokusera på direktvärde, men vid en implementation av nya kunskapshanteringskoncept kommer de direkta kostnaderna att vara högre och mer visuella än direktvärdet. Genomförandet av ett kunskapshanteringssystem kommer delvis skapa direktvärde, men den största vinsten är det långsiktiga värdet som ett etablerat och väl fungerande kunskapsledningssystem medför

The furniture industry is an integral part of the European economy and is now facing economic, environmental, and regulatory challenges. Within the European Union (EU), a large amount of furniture every year goes to incineration or landfill, with only 10% being recycled. One of the causes is the increased supply of low-quality furniture that is put on the market, causing increased consumption levels, resulting in an increasing amount of waste. Additionally, most of the climate impact occurs within the extraction of raw materials. From an environmental perspective, vast opportunities present themselves. Simultaneously, new stricter legislation demands decreased use of resources and climate impact, and the introduction of new circular economy guidelines forces companies to act. By adopting a circular approach in the organisation, companies can improve their resource usage and climate impact. However, the adoption itself demands new types of business models, which is a challenge for the corporates in the furniture industry to realize.  The furniture industry can be split into two sections, business to business (B2B) and business to consumer (B2C), where the first one has reached a bit further than the latter, regarding circularity. This can be explained, among other things, by knowledge gaps between the two sections and that Product-Service System (PSS) is more established for B2B. PSS integrates products and services to fulfil the customer’s needs, which is seen as an enabler for circular economy. The aim of this thesis is to explore the furniture industry within B2C in Sweden by identifying which circular business practices are offered today, as well as exploring the challenges and opportunities for furniture companies to implement more circular business practices. In addition, it examines which prerequisites are central to a more circular furniture industry. To achieve the purpose of this thesis, a qualitative approach has been used through a case study at a large Swedish B2C furniture company. Data has been collected through a literature study and an interview study where a total of 14 respondents have been interviewed. The interviewees consisted of both internal respondents at the case company as well as external parties consisting of experts and suppliers. In addition, a mapping consisting of a website study has been conducted to identify the current circular business practices that B2C furniture companies offer in Sweden today. The result indicates that linear business models are currently dominating in the furniture industry and that there is an extensive demand for low-priced furniture, which often lacks quality. Regarding circular business practices, there is a limited amount that is being offered on the market. Out of 40 companies considered, four offered two circular business practices, 18 companies offered one circular business practice and 18 companies offered none. The offers included furniture care guides, reconditioning services, furniture leasing, recycling guides and second-hand sales. The most central obstacles a circular furniture industry faces are the price aspect and the consumer attitude, where circular initiatives in many cases can be more expensive compared to buying new products. Cheap furniture has worse prerequisites for circularity due to the inadequate design and lack of spare parts. In addition, the hygiene aspect and logistical issues were found to be central barriers as well. On the other hand, one major opportunity for circular business practices is changes in consumer attitudes, which is changing with the coming generation due to an increasing interest in sustainability. Furthermore, there are upcoming directives and legal requirements as well as benefits consisting of increased profitability for companies in an early transition to a more circular business. The most essential prerequisites to enable a more circular furniture industry is enabling cooperation between actors and joint efforts to change current trends. It is thus clear that a change in the furniture industry is required, which requires actors to dare to change towards a more circular business.

Supply chain disruptions, ranging from epidemics to geopolitical tensions, have been especially evident in recent years and have consequently become a hot topic in both boardrooms and academic literature. Supply chain resilience (SCR) denotes the ability to prepare, respond, recover, and facilitate growth during disruptions and is usually thought of as consisting of several enablers. Initial evidence suggests that one such enabler could be analytics, which broadly refers to the processing of data to support decision-making. This thesis aims to explore the use of analytics for SCR. The research design comprise one conceptual component followed by two empirical components consisting of a survey and interviews. The findings reveal six application areas for analytics in SCR. Three paths to SCR are also identified in terms of configurations of analytics and other SCR enablers, only one of which does not seem to be contingent on the level of supply chain complexity. Finally, obstacles to the use of analytics were identified. Clear consensus was noted for low data availability and/or quality as a major obstacle to SCR, while a somewhat consensus existed concerning the hindrance to quick decision-making, lack of a data-driven culture, and insufficient benefits and/or use. The thesis contributes to the nascent stream of research on the use of analytics and SCR by complementing individual observations with broader and deeper insights through the spectrum of application areas, configurations of analytics and complementary SCR-enablers, and finally, obstacles. For practitioners, the thesis provides insights into using analytics as a potential enabler for SCR. Firms can evaluate their current use of analytics for SCR and adjust their set of application areas and configurations of SCR-enablers as per the options outlined in the findings to better align with their specific needs and prerequisites. Finally, guidance is provided on what obstacles to be cognizant of and attempt to mitigate. / Störningar i försörjningskedjor, orsakade av händelser såsom pandemier och geopolitiska spänningar, har varit särskilt påtagliga under de senaste åren och har därmed blivit ett hett ämne både i näringslivet och akademin. Begreppet Supply chain resilience (SCR) avser försörjningskedjans förmåga att förbereda sig, reagera, återhämta sig och stödja tillväxt under sådana störningar. Det anses vanligtvis bestå av flera möjliggörare. Initiala bevis i litteraturen tyder också på att en av dessa möjliggörare kan vara analytics, som i stora drag betyder bearbetning av data för att stödja beslutsfattande. Denna avhandling syftar till att utforska användningen av analytics för SCR. Forskningsmetoden bestod av en konceptuell studie, följt av två empiriska studier i form av en enkät och intervjuer. Resultaten visar sex tillämpningsområden för analytics med avseende på SCR. Dessutom identifierades tre vägar till SCR när det gäller konfigurationer av analytics och andra SCR-möjliggörare, varav endast en konfiguration är oberoende av försörjningskedjans komplexitetsnivå. Slutligen identifierades hinder för användning av analytics för SCR. Det fanns en tydlig konsensus kring låg tillgänglighet och/eller kvalitet på data, medan det fanns viss enighet om hinder för snabba beslut, bristen på en kultur att basera beslutsfattande på analytics och slutligen otillräcklig nytta och/eller användning. Avhandlingen bidrar till forskning om användningen av analytics för SCR genom att komplettera enskilda observationer med bredare och djupare insikter om spektrumet av tillämpningsområden, konfigurationer av analytics och kompletterande SCR-möjliggörare, och slutligen, hinder. För praktiker ger avhandlingen insikter i att använda analytics som en potentiell möjliggörare för SCR. Företag kan utvärdera sin nuvarande användning av analytics för SCR och förändra tillämpningsområden och konfigurationer av SCR-möjligare enligt de identifierade alternativen för att bättre tillgodose sina behov och förutsättningar. Slutligen ges vägledning om vilka hinder man bör vara medveten om och försöka mildra.

The circular economy has emerged as a tool for addressing the current linear economic system, producing massive amounts waste and exacerbating climate change. During the recent crises and instabilities, the potential of the circular economy has been further highlighted.However, the concept remains undefined, and little is known of its implementation inpractice. This thesis explores the circular economy and its implementation among six Swedish commercial real estate actors, through interviews and an investigation of their official documents, with the aim of discovering signs of the circular economy, how those signs have emerged and the knowledge and capabilities necessary to capitalize on them. The External Enablers Framework by Davidsson et al. (2020) is used to find the external enablers thatfacilitate a shift towards more circular business practices. The thesis discovers multiple signs of circularity in the empirical material, in targets, strategies and activities. It also identifies several external enablers potentially impacting the implementation of circular activities in existing real estate ventures, such as collaboration networks, climate change awareness andthe recent crises and instabilities. The real estate actors themselves also potentially influence the industry around them towards circularity, in an ecosystem of enablement.

As the global population increases, so does the demand for water, and the increasing water scarcity is a challenge to the global water sector. It is imperative to take large-scale action in order to make water consumption more sustainable, and information and communication technologies such as smart meters have shown great potential.  Sweden is a country that generally does not face water shortage and where research on smart water metering is still rather new. Previous studies have focused on countries where water scarcity is very common, and more research is needed to examine the generalizability of previous findings. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the possibilities for a large-scale implementation of smart water meters in Swedish households, and the guiding research question is: “What are the main enablers and barriers for a large-scale implementation of smart water meters in Swedish households?”. This thesis is of qualitative and exploratory character, and the study consists of a pre-study, a literature review and interviews. Furthermore, the analysis in this thesis is made using a theoretical framework based on Technological Innovation Systems.  The findings indicate that the possibilities for a large-scale implementation of smart water meters in Swedish households are very good. The most significant enablers are that the Swedish water sector is an open and enabling environment, that smart water meters provide more technological opportunities compared to mechanical meters, and that smart water meters are generally accepted among the actors and considered to be the optimal solution in the future.  On the other hand, there are barriers which need to be addressed for a successful large-scale implementation. The most significant barriers are that smart water meters are more expensive and that there are still some uncertainties regarding the choice of technology such as compatibility issues, risk of lock-in effect, and that the technology quickly becomes outdated. However, these factors may not constitute barriers in the future since they either can disappear with time or some of them could be avoided already today. Therefore, the possibilities for a large-scale implementation are still assessed to be very good. / I samband med den globala befolkningsökningen ökar också efterfrågan på vatten, och den ökande vattenbristen är en utmaning för den globala vattensektorn. Det är nödvändigt att vidta storskaliga åtgärder för att göra vattenförbrukningen mer hållbar, och informations- och kommunikationsteknik såsom smarta mätare har visat stor potential.  Sverige är ett land som vanligtvis inte har vattenbrist och där forskningen om smart vattenmätning fortfarande är i sin linda. Tidigare studier har genomförts i länder där vattenbrist är mycket vanligare, och mer forskning behövs för att undersöka generaliserbarheten av tidigare resultat. Syftet med detta examensarbete är att undersöka möjligheterna för en storskalig implementering av smarta vattenmätare i svenska hushåll, och arbetets forskningsfråga är: ”Vilka är de viktigaste möjliggörarna och hindren för en storskalig implementering av smarta vattenmätare i svenska hushåll?”. Detta examensarbete är av kvalitativ och utforskande karaktär, och studien består av en förstudie, en litteraturstudie samt intervjuer. Vidare görs analysen i detta examensarbete med hjälp av ett teoretiskt ramverk baserat på Teknologiska innovationssystem.  Resultaten i denna studie tyder på att möjligheterna för en storskalig implementering av smarta vattenmätare i svenska hushåll är mycket goda. De viktigaste möjliggörarna är att den svenska vattensektorn är en öppen och möjliggörande miljö, att smarta vattenmätare ger fler tekniska möjligheter jämfört med mekaniska mätare, och att smarta vattenmätare är allmänt accepterade bland aktörerna och anses vara den optimala lösningen i framtiden.  Det finns dock vissa hinder som måste åtgärdas för att uppnå en framgångsrik storskalig implementering. De viktigaste hindren är att smarta vattenmätare är dyrare och att det fortfarande finns vissa osäkerhetsfaktorer när det gäller val av teknik, t.ex. kompatibilitetsproblem, risk för inlåsning, och att tekniken snabbt föråldras. Det är dock möjligt att dessa faktorer inte utgör hinder i framtiden eftersom de antingen kan försvinna med tiden eller undvikas och hanteras redan idag. Därför bedöms möjligheterna för en storskalig implementering av smarta vattenmätare i svenska hushåll ändå vara mycket goda.

With advancement in information and communication technologies (ICT), Smart Cities are becoming a popular urban development strategy amongst policymakers and city managers to respond to various threats posed by rapid urbanization such as environmental degradation and increasing inequality (Hartemink, 2016). Therefore, globally, regions ranging from small towns to megacities are proposing and investing in smart city (SC) initiatives. Unfortunately, the prolific use of this term by city managers and technology vendors is clouding the view on what it really takes to become a SC (Van den Bergh and Viaene, 2015). Consequently, cities are experiencing multiple implementation risks when trying to turn a smart city ambition into reality. These implementation risks reflect the gaps or missing pieces in the current organizational structure and policies designed for implementing SC projects at the city level. They can be understood better if the process of SC transformation is explored using diverse cases of cities undergoing such a transformation. However, the current studies on SC initiatives at the local, regional, national, and international level have focused on: 1) strengthening the SC concept rather than understanding the practical implementation of the concept – i.e., discussing SC characteristics and outcomes rather than focusing on the challenges faced in implementing SC projects; 2) cases that have already been developed as a SC or are soon to become a SC, leaving out the opportunity to study cities undergoing SC transformation and the identification of implementation risks; and 3) cases from more advanced economies. Taken together, these observations reveal the need for research that focuses on SC initiatives in a developing nation context. More specifically, there is a need for researchers, city managers, and policymakers in these regions to focus on the process of SC transformation to identify implementation risks early on in the process. Understanding these risks may help the development of better risk mitigation strategies and result in more successful SC projects. This research explores SC implementation risks in two cities currently undergoing a SC transformation in India – Kakinada and Kanpur. While examining the risks landscape in these two cities, the research also explores what city officials are focused on when implementing SC projects. This research finds that: 1) implementation risks such as Institutional, Resource and Partnership, and Social are crucial for implementing SC projects; 2) in the cities of Kakinada and Kanpur, Institutional risks that relate to gaps and deficiencies in local urban governance such as overlapping functions of multiple local urban development agencies, have causal linkages with other risks such as Resource and Partnership risks and Financial risks, which further delay project implementation; and 3) city officials and industry professionals implementing SC projects in Kakinada and Kanpur have a slightly different perspective on smartness, however both the groups focus on External smartness of the city – i.e., projects related to physical infrastructure such as mobility and sanitation – rather than Internal smartness of the city – i.e., strengthening local urban governance, increasing citizen engagement, etc. Overall, this research proposes that there is a need to frame the concept of a SC around both Internal and External Smartness of the city. This research will be of special interest to: 1) cities (in both developed and developing nations) currently implementing SC projects by providing a framework to systematically examine the risk landscape for successful project implementation; and 2) communities/institutions (especially in developing nations) proposing SC initiatives by helping them focus on components, goals, and enablers of a SC. / Doctor of Philosophy / The concept of a Smart City (SC) revolves around "using Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to increase workability, liveability, and sustainability" of a city (Smart Cities Council, 2014). SCs are becoming a popular urban development strategy amongst policymakers and city managers to respond to various threats posed by rapid urbanization such as environmental degradation and increasing inequality (Hartemink, 2016). Unfortunately, city managers see SCs as a readymade solution to urban challenges. As a consequence, cities are experiencing multiple implementation risks when trying to turn a smart city ambition into reality. These implementation risks reflect the gaps or missing pieces in the current organizational structure and policies designed for implementing SC projects at the city level. They can be understood better if the process of SC transformation is explored. However, the current studies on SC initiatives at the local, regional, national, and international level have focused on: 1) strengthening the SC concept rather than understanding the practical implementation of the concept; 2) cases that have already been developed as a SC or are soon to become a SC, leaving out the opportunity to study cities undergoing SC transformation and the identification of implementation risks; and 3) cases from more advanced economies. Taken together, these observations reveal the need for research that focuses on SC initiatives in a developing nation context. More specifically, there is a need for researchers, city managers, and policymakers in these regions to focus on the process of SC transformation to identify implementation risks early in the project development process. Understanding these risks may help the development of better risk mitigation strategies and result in more successful SC projects. This research explores SC implementation risks in two cities currently undergoing a SC transformation in India – Kakinada and Kanpur. This research finds that: 1) implementation risks such as Institutional, Resource and Partnership, and Social are crucial for implementing SC projects; 2) in the cities of Kakinada and Kanpur, Institutional risks that relate to gaps and deficiencies in local urban governance such as overlapping functions of multiple local urban development agencies, have causal linkages with other risks such as Resource and Partnership risks and Financial risks, which further delay project implementation; and 3) city officials and industry professionals implementing SC projects in Kakinada and Kanpur have a slightly different perspective on smartness, however both the groups focus on the External smartness of the city – i.e., projects related to physical infrastructure such as mobility and sanitation – rather than the Internal smartness of the city – i.e., strengthening local urban governance, increasing citizen engagement, etc.

La réalisation des objectifs d’Éducation pour tous en Haïti requiert impérativement, entre autres, une campagne massive et accélérée de formation d’enseignants - formation à la fois initiale et en cours d’emploi. Malheureusement, les structures actuelles sont loin d’être en mesure de répondre à cette demande. Il faudra donc recourir à d’autres modalités de formation, particulièrement celles utilisant les TIC (technologies de l’information et de la communication). Cependant, dans ce domaine, il est fort tentant de continuer à copier ce qui se fait en France, au Canada ou aux États-Unis, et d’allonger ainsi la liste d’échecs dus à une adaptation déficiente ou inexistante. Dans un souci de maximiser les chances de succès, il est important d’examiner l’adéquation des stratégies adoptées au contexte et à l’apprenant haïtiens. Cette recherche étudie les caractéristiques des enseignants haïtiens des deux premiers cycles de l’enseignement fondamental (primaire) en tant qu’apprenants, caractéristiques susceptibles de constituer des barrières ou des facteurs facilitants internes à une intégration efficace des TIC dans leur formation. Dans une première phase quantitative, une enquête a été administrée en 2009-2010 à 176 enseignants. L’analyse des données recueillies a permis de faire ressortir trois tendances fortes : une attitude positive par rapport aux innovations et aux TIC, des sources intrinsèques de motivation et une forte distance hiérarchique ; il faut aussi signaler deux autres résultats importants : le peu de familiarité avec l’ordinateur et l’adoption massive du cellulaire ; les réponses étaient plus partagées au niveau de la conception de l’enseignement et de l’apprentissage et de la dimension individualisme-collectivisme. Une analyse factorielle a fait émerger quatre facteurs : la capacité d’utiliser les TIC, le désir de changement, la conception du rôle du formateur et la distance hiérarchique. Suite à cette enquête, une phase qualitative comportant sept entrevues individuelles avec des spécialistes de la formation des enseignants en Haïti et trois groupes de discussion avec des enseignants du fondamental a été effectuée à la fin de 2010. Cette phase avait pour but d’enrichir, de compléter, d’expliquer, de confirmer et d’illustrer les résultats quantitatifs. Malgré leur regard plus sévère, les spécialistes en formation des enseignants ont largement contribué à l’interprétation des résultats, particulièrement ceux concernant l’attitude par rapport aux innovations et aux TIC, la dimension individualisme-collectivisme et la conception de l’enseignement et de l’apprentissage. Quant aux participants aux groupes de discussion, ils ont globalement appuyé les résultats de la phase quantitative, mais en expliquant et en nuançant certains aspects. Ils ont particulièrement renforcé l’importance de deux facteurs qui ne figuraient pas dans la liste initiale et qui ont émergé de l’analyse factorielle : le désir de changement et la conception du rôle du formateur. Ils ont également apporté des éclaircissements fort pertinents sur la distance hiérarchique. . / The achievement of Education for All objectives in Haiti imperatively requires, among other things, a massive and intensive teacher training campaign - both initial and in-service training. Unfortunately, the existing training structures are far from being able to meet this demand. It will therefore be necessary to consider other training strategies, particularly those using ICTs (Information and Communications Technologies). It is, however, very tempting, in this area, to copy what is being carried out in France, Canada and the United States, and thereby lengthen the list of failures due to insufficient or inexistent adaptation. In order to maximize the chances of success, it is important to study the appropriateness of adopted strategies for the Haitian context and learners. This research studies relevant characteristics of Haitian teachers of the first two cycles of fundamental school (primary school) as learners, characteristics that may constitute internal barriers or enablers to an effective integration of ICTs in their training. In a first quantitative phase, a survey was administered to 176 teachers in 2009-2010. The data analysis revealed three high tendencies: a positive attitude towards innovation and ICTs, intrinsic sources of motivation, and a high power distance; two other important results are worth mentioning: the low level of familiarity with computers and the massive adoption of cellular phones; the answers about conception of teaching and learning, and the individualism-collectivism dimension were more balanced. A factor analysis identified four factors: the capacity to use ICTs, the desire for change, the conception of the trainer’s role, and power distance. The survey was followed, at the end of 2010, by a qualitative phase consisting of seven interviews with teacher training experts in Haiti and three focus groups with fundamental school teachers. The purpose of this phase was to enrich, complete, explain, and illustrate the quantitative results. Despite their more severe point of view, the teacher training experts largely contributed to the interpretation of the results, particularly those concerning attitude towards innovations and ICTs, individualism-collectivism dimension, and conception of teaching and learning. The focus groups globally endorsed the quantitative results, with some explanations and nuances. Particularly, they stressed the importance of two factors that were not on the initial list and that emerged from the factor analysis: the desire of change and the conception of the trainer’s role. They also brought up relevant points that helped shed light on power distance.

La réalisation des objectifs d’Éducation pour tous en Haïti requiert impérativement, entre autres, une campagne massive et accélérée de formation d’enseignants - formation à la fois initiale et en cours d’emploi. Malheureusement, les structures actuelles sont loin d’être en mesure de répondre à cette demande. Il faudra donc recourir à d’autres modalités de formation, particulièrement celles utilisant les TIC (technologies de l’information et de la communication). Cependant, dans ce domaine, il est fort tentant de continuer à copier ce qui se fait en France, au Canada ou aux États-Unis, et d’allonger ainsi la liste d’échecs dus à une adaptation déficiente ou inexistante. Dans un souci de maximiser les chances de succès, il est important d’examiner l’adéquation des stratégies adoptées au contexte et à l’apprenant haïtiens. Cette recherche étudie les caractéristiques des enseignants haïtiens des deux premiers cycles de l’enseignement fondamental (primaire) en tant qu’apprenants, caractéristiques susceptibles de constituer des barrières ou des facteurs facilitants internes à une intégration efficace des TIC dans leur formation. Dans une première phase quantitative, une enquête a été administrée en 2009-2010 à 176 enseignants. L’analyse des données recueillies a permis de faire ressortir trois tendances fortes : une attitude positive par rapport aux innovations et aux TIC, des sources intrinsèques de motivation et une forte distance hiérarchique ; il faut aussi signaler deux autres résultats importants : le peu de familiarité avec l’ordinateur et l’adoption massive du cellulaire ; les réponses étaient plus partagées au niveau de la conception de l’enseignement et de l’apprentissage et de la dimension individualisme-collectivisme. Une analyse factorielle a fait émerger quatre facteurs : la capacité d’utiliser les TIC, le désir de changement, la conception du rôle du formateur et la distance hiérarchique. Suite à cette enquête, une phase qualitative comportant sept entrevues individuelles avec des spécialistes de la formation des enseignants en Haïti et trois groupes de discussion avec des enseignants du fondamental a été effectuée à la fin de 2010. Cette phase avait pour but d’enrichir, de compléter, d’expliquer, de confirmer et d’illustrer les résultats quantitatifs. Malgré leur regard plus sévère, les spécialistes en formation des enseignants ont largement contribué à l’interprétation des résultats, particulièrement ceux concernant l’attitude par rapport aux innovations et aux TIC, la dimension individualisme-collectivisme et la conception de l’enseignement et de l’apprentissage. Quant aux participants aux groupes de discussion, ils ont globalement appuyé les résultats de la phase quantitative, mais en expliquant et en nuançant certains aspects. Ils ont particulièrement renforcé l’importance de deux facteurs qui ne figuraient pas dans la liste initiale et qui ont émergé de l’analyse factorielle : le désir de changement et la conception du rôle du formateur. Ils ont également apporté des éclaircissements fort pertinents sur la distance hiérarchique. . / The achievement of Education for All objectives in Haiti imperatively requires, among other things, a massive and intensive teacher training campaign - both initial and in-service training. Unfortunately, the existing training structures are far from being able to meet this demand. It will therefore be necessary to consider other training strategies, particularly those using ICTs (Information and Communications Technologies). It is, however, very tempting, in this area, to copy what is being carried out in France, Canada and the United States, and thereby lengthen the list of failures due to insufficient or inexistent adaptation. In order to maximize the chances of success, it is important to study the appropriateness of adopted strategies for the Haitian context and learners. This research studies relevant characteristics of Haitian teachers of the first two cycles of fundamental school (primary school) as learners, characteristics that may constitute internal barriers or enablers to an effective integration of ICTs in their training. In a first quantitative phase, a survey was administered to 176 teachers in 2009-2010. The data analysis revealed three high tendencies: a positive attitude towards innovation and ICTs, intrinsic sources of motivation, and a high power distance; two other important results are worth mentioning: the low level of familiarity with computers and the massive adoption of cellular phones; the answers about conception of teaching and learning, and the individualism-collectivism dimension were more balanced. A factor analysis identified four factors: the capacity to use ICTs, the desire for change, the conception of the trainer’s role, and power distance. The survey was followed, at the end of 2010, by a qualitative phase consisting of seven interviews with teacher training experts in Haiti and three focus groups with fundamental school teachers. The purpose of this phase was to enrich, complete, explain, and illustrate the quantitative results. Despite their more severe point of view, the teacher training experts largely contributed to the interpretation of the results, particularly those concerning attitude towards innovations and ICTs, individualism-collectivism dimension, and conception of teaching and learning. The focus groups globally endorsed the quantitative results, with some explanations and nuances. Particularly, they stressed the importance of two factors that were not on the initial list and that emerged from the factor analysis: the desire of change and the conception of the trainer’s role. They also brought up relevant points that helped shed light on power distance.

<p>This thesis investigates the way to implement a valuable e-commerce solution. With the growing importance of information technologies in business practices, more and more companies are adopting e-commerce as a selling and ordering process. However, depending on the market environment, the level of success of the implementation may differ. The purpose of this study is therefore to examine what are the conditions required for a successful B2B e-commerce implementation in different market contexts.</p><p>Theories related to the impact of markets' contexts on e-commerce, the business process, and the drivers and enablers of e-commerce have been considered. Thereafter the current situation of Star Laundry Solutions (SLS) has been studied. The context of different markets – France, United Kingdom, Turkey - where they have dealers, the business process drivers of implementations and success factors of a valuable e-commerce solution have been investigated. The result of the empirical studied are analyzed in comparison with the theoretical findings. Through this method, the main research question of the thesis, namely “What are the necessary conditions to implement a value-adding e-commerce solution in different market contexts?” can be answered.</p><p>Several conditions have been identified in order to succeed the implementation and bring value to the different players along the supply chain, from the manufacturer to the end-customer. The market should first answer different criteria. Further, future users of the web solution must support the implementation, trust between parties must also emerge from the implementation, and additional information must be provided on the website such as product numbers (PNCs), products' availability and delivery times.</p><p>The provided recommendations of this thesis regarding the features of the web solution, the range of products that dealers and importers should be able to order online and the range of companies that should be allowed to use the web solution in Turkey.</p>

Barriers to reaching human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing prevent Canada from achieving The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) target of 90 percent of undiagnosed people living with HIV knowing their HIV status by 2020 and receive treatment.(1) Fourteen percent (9,090 of 63,100) of Canadians living with HIV were unaware of their status by the end of 2016.(1)(p.9)Individuals exposed to HIV through heterosexual contact are overrepresented (28%) among the undiagnosed people living with HIV in Canada compared to other groups, such as men who have sex with men (18%) and people who inject drugs (20%).(2)(par.15)The reasons preventing this population to present themselves for testing in Ottawa, Ontario, remain poorly understood in the literature. Most of the literature on barriers to accessing HIV testing focuses on the traditional key groups who are likely to test, and limits analysis of these barriers on one or two levels. Equally, health service providers rarely understand challenges behind HIV testing for particularly young heterosexual African migrant men. These challenges may be contributing key barriers to HIV testing. On other hand, late presentation to treatment remains a global issue. Psychosocial outcomes especially after a new positive diagnosis can delay reaching early treatment and prevention services. Indeed, all test results negative or positive have consequences. Even those with a new negative test can return to risk taking behaviour if they delay accessing prevention education. Yet no systematic study exists in this area essential for quality improvement. Programming more equitable HIV testing services will require more comprehensive evidence about challenges and barriers behind accessing HIV testing and treatment to achieve UNAIDS target of 90 percent of undiagnosed people living with HIV knowing their status and receive treatment. This research aimed to contribute to this evidence through two phases. Phase 1 used the Joanna Briggs Institute methods to implement a scoping review on psychosocial outcomes and their measurements immediately following a new HIV diagnosis. This review considered all participants who tested for HIV – whether their results were positive or negative, as any test results have consequences, and regardless of age, sex, or setting – reported in published articles between 2007 -to the present date. Paper 1 presents the scoping review. Phase 2 relied on a qualitative methodology using Grounded Theory informed by a socio-ecological framework and a framework of access to healthcare to understand experiences of accessing HIV testing services in two parts: 1) to examine barriers to reaching HIV testing among young heterosexual African migrants, focusing on young men, in Ottawa (Paper 2); and 2) to identify challenges experienced by health service providers who make accessible HIV testing services to this population in Ottawa (Paper 3). There is some ambiguity in the use of the terms “first generation immigrants” and “second generation immigrants” (or children of first immigrants). In this study, the term migrants referred to both. Selecting participants from both groups (first and second generation) was important to include a wide variety of experiences and interpretations that reflect the study population. Furthermore, the term “health service providers” was used to refer to both healthcare providers and frontline service providers. Healthcare providers referred to those who conduct HIV testing in health facilities, whereas frontline service providers referred to those who provide care and support services needed by members in their communities before and after testing within AIDS organizations and community-based organizations.