Several studies suggest that the diffusion of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in developing countries (DCs) can help such countries achieve national development goals - especially if accompanied by appropriate government policies designed to regulate and promote the use and the diffusion of ICTs in the national context. Over the past few years 'ICT policy' has thus become something worthy of academic attention, in particular in the ambit of ICT-for-development (ICT4D) literature. Scholarly studies on the subject have so far focused however primarily on policy content, and have often been prescriptive and/or evaluative in nature. Relatively less attention has been paid instead to the processes by which ICT policy is made in DCs - a lacuna reflected also in the relative scarcity, in the realm of ICT4D literature, of detailed theoretical frameworks with which to study ICT policymaking practice in DCs. This study intends to help fill this lacuna, by proposing an innovative framework for the analysis of ICT policy processes in DCs, and subjecting such a framework to a first 'proof of concept', through its application to a particular case (ICT policymaking in Uganda). In recognition of the importance of the cognitive aspects of policy practice, the framework proposed is interpretive in nature, and is organised around three 'movements', or steps: an analysis of the linguistic and non-linguistic constructs employed by policy actors to articulate discourse on ICT policymaking; an analysis of the key discourses around ICT policy constructed by policy actors in specific settings; and an analysis of the composition and the strength of the 'alliances', or coalitions, of actors that construct and propagate specific discourses in such settings. The ultimate purpose of this type of analysis is to understand how specific discourses on, or 'versions' of the ICT policy process gain particular purchase and acceptance in given national settings, thereby providing ICT policy actors with elements for reflection on the practices they are involved in. The framework proposed is particularly innovative in that integrates elements derived from mainstream political science and policy analysis literature - thus going some way in solidifying theorization in the ambit of ICT4D research. The study draws conclusions at two levels: at case level, findings indicate that Ugandan discourse around ICT policymaking appears to be constrained by the existence of a powerful, overall political discourse that defines ICT policy as necessarily 'participative'; at the level of theory and method, findings suggest that the framework proposed appears to be a viable and useful one for research on ICT policymaking practice in DCs.

The thesis Phenomenology and Economics is an account of methodological possibilities brought by the phenomenological method into the realm of economic thought. From the starting point of Misesian praxeology the thesis advances to the key contributions of Alfred Schütz whose concept of telescopic ideal type enables us to cross the gap between theory and history. Telescopic ideal type allows us to grasp the specific nature of economics that is, on the one hand, proud of its rigor and precision connected with the formal modelling and on the other hand deals with an interpretation of individual agents in their life-world. Methodological insights developed through this analysis are then applied to the problem of coordination and spontaneous order and to the question of the relationship between behavioral economics and rational choice theory.

The asset-based approach has been studied within the South African context. Up to now, primary school learners’ meaning of the experienced phenomenon, “assets for learning support” however remains an under-explored topic. The intent with this study was to qualitatively explore and discover the essence of the phenomenon, ‘assets for learning support’, as experienced by learners who attend an urban primary school. This phenomenon was explored from an interpretive/ constructivist paradigmatic perspective, which also informed the study’s qualitative methodology. A phenomenological research design was utilised. The study was conducted in a mainstream primary school, situated in an urban context. The participants for this research were eight female participants in Grades 5-7 that were confronted with and overcame extrinsic barriers to learning, while attending an urban primary school. They participated in a focus group discussion within a classroom on the school premises. During the focus group, the learners’ relevant and natural unit of significant statements were listed (horizontalisation) and structured into central clusters of meanings. Textural themes (what) and structural themes (how) were identified. The study found that human resource assets are integrated assets connecting other assets that support learning. The study also found a significant compound effect of assets upon each other. The essence of the experienced phenomenon is that the identified assets (how) interrelatedly mobilise (what) other assets (textural findings) on one of five levels (structural findings) within various systems and contexts, which contribute to mobilise learning support as an asset. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Educational Psychology / unrestricted

The categories of 'ethnicity' or 'Roma' could obscure the whole topic, as they may suggest an idea that the socially excluded are somehow special or unrecognizable. It is therefore very important to use these categories clearly and specifically. That is what I am trying to do in this thesis. The theoretical part is divided into three main parts: the dynamic model of practice, culturally sensitive social work and the chapter entitled Roma. In the first part, the dynamic model, I try to have a look at the practical implementation of social work as described by Karen Healy (from page 10 onwards). I also explore the areas that influence the interactions between the social worker and their client. The dynamic model is focused on professional goals, which are made up of four areas: the institutional context, the needs and expectations of the service users and the community, the professional foundation, and an emerging framework for practice that develops through critical reflection on professional experience. These four elements further interact within the framework of the professional goal. I have also included a subsection where I attempt to define social work and its relationship to social services (p. 19). In the next chapter, I describe the culturally sensitive social work (from p. 25) on which the...

In Ontario, 1% of women who give birth have their newborn infant apprehended by child protection agencies (~200/year). Hospital-based perinatal nurses are in a unique position to support mothers. However, there is a lack of research examining mothers’ experiences of newborn infant apprehension. The purpose of this study was to explore mothers’ experiences with nurses and other providers when newborn infant apprehension occurs. Doka’s Disenfranchised Grief Framework was used as a lens to help guide the research questions, methods and analysis. Thorne’s Interpretive Descriptive approach was employed. Mothers who had experienced newborn infant apprehension in the last 10 years were recruited from an agency in Ontario. Nine individual, semi-structured interviews were conducted. When analyzing the data, the researchers identified patterns and themes from among the mothers’ varied experiences. The analysis resulted in four themes: Not good enough, I am a mother, I have rights, I live everyday like I’m grieving, and Hope in the face of adversity. The findings illuminated the imbalance of power that mothers face when experiencing newborn infant apprehension, where power and authority rest with health and social service providers. This research study will focus on the findings describing what mothers want - for nurses to be open-minded, non-judgmental, to teach mothers regarding cycles of violence, and to advocate for mothers’ rights. Ultimately, the mothers posited that nurses are well positioned to empower mothers, thereby giving them the opportunity to begin recovery. The findings indicate a need for nurses to provide safe, compassionate, competent, ethical care and inform how perinatal nurses can better support mothers experiencing newborn infant apprehension.

The purpose of this interpretive biography was to understand how college graduates perceive their experiences in secondary (high school) accelerated learning programs and the impact of that participation on their continued education. This inquiry was guided by the overarching question: What are college graduates’ perceptions and understandings of their experiences in secondary accelerated programs? Using a postmodern philosophy to review the empirical materials, this interpretive biography focused on the lived experience of a college graduate who participated in an accelerated secondary program and focuses on her reflections after graduating from a four-year university. The study finds that generally, secondary accelerated learning programs like concurrent enrollment are considered valuable for their academic preparation, but may be reinforcing societal notions that students should go through their schooling more quickly than is beneficial.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), people throughout the world become sick every year from consuming contaminated foods, which impacts countries’ socioeconomic development, straining their healthcare system, travel and tourism, and foreign trade markets. To help alleviate the impact foodborne illness (FBI) has on society, scholars suggest physicians incorporate food safety in their standard work practice. The purpose of this study was to determine if Harlem Hospital physicians utilized food safety knowledge in comprehensive patient care with a diagnosis of FBI, in addition to how physicians passed this food safety information onto the patient. A qualitative methodology using an interpretive description approach was used to determine 52 physicians' utilization of food safety accompanied by Slotnick four-stage theory of physician’s learning as the study’s theoretical foundation. The study found that Harlem Hospital medicine and ICU physicians were more knowledgeable in FBI than other hospital physicians, and even though physicians’ definitions of FBI were different, all physicians' answers corresponded with the behaviors of clean, separate cook and chill. The research concludes Harlem Hospital physicians know how to diagnose and treat patients with FBI, and physicians acquired their knowledge of food safety through multiple resources. The study also found the physicians do not always include food safety in comprehensive patient care. However, all physicians agreed patients should be educated in food safety to prevent its reoccurrence. When physicians provide education at the bedside, this may help increase patient awareness in food safety, reducing hospital readmission rates, leading to a positive social change.

The 2010 Fédération Internationale de Football Association’s (FIFA) World Cup (WC) would be the first time that a FIFA WC would be hosted on the African continent. This study was aimed at describing the South African City of Tshwane (COT) general volunteers’ experiences of volunteering at the 2010 FIFA WC. The FIFA Volunteer Programme consists of two groups of volunteers: Local Organising Committee (LOC) volunteers and each Host City (HC) volunteers. The COT volunteers are HC volunteers from the Tshwane Metropolitan Area (TMA). Volunteers are active in a variety of different contexts, namely in the community, volunteers at sport clubs or schools and also at mega sport events. Volunteers make it possible to host a mega sport event because they provide their time and effort without expecting remuneration or they receive a stipend amount. The existing literature of volunteers at mega sport events investigated what motivated volunteers to participate as well as how satisfied the volunteers were with the experience. The aim of this study was to describe COT general volunteers’ experiences of preparing (preparation phase) for the 2010 FIFA WC; COT general volunteers’ experiences during (participation phase) the 2010 FIFA WC, as well as the South African COT general volunteers’ experiences on their involvement (reflection phase) at the 2010 FIFA WC was described. The methodology employed in this study was Descriptive Phenomenology and the Duquesne Phenomenological Research Method was used to analyse the material. The differences between Descriptive Phenomenology and Interpretive Phenomenology were described. The material consisted of a written account as well as an interview, which was based on the essences that were portrayed in the written accounts. There were five participants — three spectator services volunteers and two rights protection volunteers. All of the participants were female. The findings of this study were divided into the preparation phase, participation phase and the reflection phase. In the preparation phase the COT general volunteers described two essences namely, the application process and training. In the participation phase the COT general volunteers experienced four essences namely, the working of shifts, interaction with volunteers, interaction with supervisors and lastly interaction with tourists. In the reflection phase the volunteers described two experiences, growth and value. This research project contributes to sport psychology because this study describes the experiences of volunteers at the 2010 FIFA WC. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Psychology / unrestricted

During recent years, supply chain risks have gained importance in the food supply chain. This study presents a methodology to analyse the risk in the agri-food supply chain belonging to the Andean region in Peru. It utilises the interpretive structural modelling (ISM) with matrice d' impacts croises multiplication appliqué an classement (cross-impact matrix multiplication applied to classification, abbreviated as MICMAC) to identify and understand relationships between risk types. Based on the empirical data collected from the food industry experts, ten risk factors were identified as relevant. Finally, the identified risks were classified using ISM-MICMAC methodology. The research findings demonstrated that natural disaster, environmental, and legal risks were the most substantial. The findings highlight that selected methods are capable of recognising the most substantial risks that are most critical to assess, manage with adequate mitigation actions from the practitioners in the agri-food industry.

Little is known about how residents of rapidly growing cities are impacted by the loss of natural environments. Large cities are expanding at an exponential rate, reducing the presence of, and access to, natural environments for urban dwellers. Many benefits to human health regarding the presence of natural environments near where people live and work are known, but impacts of the loss of natural environments for urban dwellers are unknown. The purpose of this qualitative investigation was to understand residents' experiences regarding the loss of natural environments and related impacts. Attention restoration theory and place attachment were the theoretical lenses used to examine this problem. Data were collected via in-depth interviews from a purposive sample of 20 San Antonio residents. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis procedures, 7 themes emerged: (a) environment (b) health (c) safety (d) finance (e) community and culture (e) factors related to deprivation of nature, and (f) recommendations for improvements. Residents expressed concerns for their health, mental health, the environment, wildlife, byproducts of urbanization, social well-being, personal safety, and finances. Other possible key factors related to the process of deprivation of nature included experiencing a loss of freedom, associated with emotional impacts similar to sadness. Residents of San Antonio, city planners, and policy makers could benefit from understanding these impacts on residents. Data from this study may contribute to possible implications for social change and new knowledge and insights in the areas of health, mental health, social responsibility, urban planning, land conservation, and environmental psychology.