Fueled by ubiquitous access to mobile phones, and a massive population of nearly 3 billion unbanked people around the globe, mobile commerce is evolving as a disruptive technology. Simultaneously, mobile payments are surfacing as a killer application within the mobile commerce context (Hu et al. 2008). Undeniably, the proliferation of wireless mobile technology provides much-needed access to vital information, and financial services for disenfranchised, unbanked populations. In addition, technological innovations offer first-time opportunities for suppliers of goods and services in a market context to gain competitive advantages while enhancing their economic viability. According to Portio Research, the volume of mobile payments rose significantly from $68.7 billion U.S. dollars in 2009, with predictions of $633.4 billion U.S. dollars by the end of 2014 (mobithinking.com 2012). Despite exponential growth in the number of mobile subscribers globally, and widespread adoption of mobile commerce, acceptance rates for mobile payment applications have lagged (Dahlberg et al. 2007, Ondrus et al 2009, Ondrus and Lyytinen 2011). Yet examinations of factors inhibiting the widespread acceptance of mobile payments are relatively sparse. Using Social Network theory, this research examines factors affecting engagement in mobile payments. The researcher posits that four primary elements influence mobile payment engagement: 1) the relationships between and amongst inter-organizational alliance members; 2) the prevailing regulatory environment; 3) the state of existing banking and technology infrastructures, and 4) an assessment of economic opportunity. The research outcomes from this exploratory examination led to the development of a comprehensive model for mobile payment engagement, and strongly suggest that ties between and amongst firms in inter-organizational alliances help ensure the success of mobile payment engagement. Support was found for the following suppositions: 1) similarities and relations (continuous ties) help establish a framework and understanding amongst alliance members as to each party’s goals and objectives; and 2) interactions and flows (discrete ties) between and amongst inter-organizational alliance members strengthen the overall ties between alliance members while solidifying a viable working relationship amongst the alliance members. This study employs a qualitative approach to obtain real world insight into the dynamism of the mobile payment arena. A model is then proposed to practically examine mobile payment engagement opportunities. From a theoretical perspective, the research contributes to the extant scholarly knowledgebase pertaining to engagement in mobile payments.

This paper investigates, through an actor-network theory perspective, how the recreation area Lövsta-Kyrkhamn-Riddersvik northwest of Stockholm has developed from being a dumping site into becoming a nature reserve. This investigation also tries to describe and explain which values that have been promoted in the area by the local voluntary associations and companies. Lövsta-Kyrkhamn-Riddersvik has been inhabited for more than 3000 years, originally with farming as the most important business. The area served as Stockholm’s waste disposal site from the late 1890’s and has today become an important area for recreational use. The actor- network theory perspective is used to identify different actors, both human and non-human, that has worked for the protection of the area and thus gained power over the decision-making.

The biochip industry is characterized by high entry barrier in technology. For those firms in this industry, owning law-protected patents to lower the entry of the potential competitors is a key strategy in competition and competitive advantage. The firm¡¦s patent analysis not only discloses the firm¡¦s knowledge-base in biochip industry, it also impact other firms¡¦ innovation activity and technology development strategy in this industry. Previous patent analysis literatures usually focus on the performance implications of firm¡¦s patent number or the patent citation on the focal firm. However, the possible performance implications of patent contents between the focal firm and other firms in the biochip industry are relatively under-examined. From the network theory and resource-based theory viewpoint, this study tries to examine the performance implications by developing two patent indexes in patent content analysis, i.e., the patent status and the patent similarity. The results indicate that when the firm¡¦s patent status difference with each other is smaller, or the firm¡¦s patent similarity with each other is larger, the performance difference between the dyad firms will be smaller. In other words, the patent status and the patent similarity are solid indexes to predict the firm¡¦s performance difference in highly competitive and highly innovative industry, such as the biochip industry in this sample. The results provide referable value in addressing the performance issues of patent content analysis from network theory viewpoint. Moreover, it also provides complementary values in discussing market commonality and resource similarity in competitive issues.

Taiwan¡¦s e-commerce market value continued to grow, the scale is about NT$ 430 billion in 2011, as compared to 2010 growing 20 percent. Which B2C e-commerce market reached NT$ 250 billion in 2011 accounted for about 6.4% of the overall retail market revenue, the scale compared to 2010 growing 22%. The relatively low entry barriers lead to a lot of companies to establish. However, each year about 60 percent of E-commerce Company out of the market in such a competitive situation. It is important that E-commerce Company must have a successful business model. Past research of value creation for e-commerce only take single theory such as transaction cost theory, Resource-Based View, Value Chain, Network Theory and Schumpeter Innovation, however, that failed to fully explain to the e-commerce company's value creation. Therefore, this study will according to five theoretical, and based on secondary data and literature for the case study company PChome, Books, and Mayuki to identify the business model of e-commerce company in Taiwan. Through this research found Taiwan¡¦s e-commerce companies are gradually expand from a small niche market to mass market, in addition, " cheap is not the most important, but to provide free activities for consumers that feeling add value. "

It is widely suggested that, in domestic environment, abundant private social network can make a huge impact in many aspect and vice versa. Then the same concept could also be applicable in international relations, and help mobilize sovereignty states? A rich literature also theorizes about the development of these phenomena among non-state actors that may signal the emergence of a new global civil society. While experts were continue discussing such subject, the transnational relationship scholars Margaret E. Keck and Kathryn Sikkink unveiled the concept of ¡§transnational advocacy network¡¨(hereafter TANs) being a tightly knit community of transnational members with shared believes and identity named ¡§issue-net work¡¨. Its strategies related to this activity in term of ¡§arguing power¡¨ and ¡§norm instrumental pressures¡¨. Then several questions can also be raised following its detail: How come did they make it success while others fail? Besides, if we ignored some factors during this ¡§network connecting¡¨ process¡HFinally, to what extent did they interact with sovereignty states? In the case of FaLun Gong group, its network structure is very complete and huge, but according to the consequence of its advocacy target ; suggested it fail to its campaign activity, then how would TANs theory help explain such consequence? This research observes the transformed of FLG TANs, and tries to tackle the above-mentioned questions. Therefore, may it could suggest some empirical experience from the outcome of this research, to those NGOs or non-state actors who devote in environment or human right campaign.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Saint Mary's University, 2009. / Includes abstract. Advisor: Albert J. Mills. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 325-352).

The wolf is an endangered animal in Sweden and the issue of conserving the species is a polarizing one. Specific attention has been given to this issue in environmental social sciences with studies focusing on the divide between wolf support and opposition. These studies include looking at historical interactions with the wolf, contemporary attitudes about the issue, and the way the law shapes policy. Following this focus on the disputed nature of wolf conservation, this thesis addresses whether polarization over the issue occurs between several stakeholders in large carnivore management in Sweden. Using Actor Network Theory, this thesis examines the similarities and divergences in the stakeholders’ conservation practices and maps their interactions with one another. Emphasis is placed on how the European Union’s regulations and the Swedish State’s policies conflict and/or influence the stakeholders. Overall results show that despite a discourse of polarization surrounding wolf management in Sweden, the actors in this study cannot be easily positioned against each other, and despite some divergences, share many similarities in their large carnivore management practices.

När det offentliga väljer att upphandla välfärden och köpa in tjänsteutförandet från fristående vårdbolag följer ett behov av nya verktyg för att driva välfärden i önskad riktning. Den här uppsatsen söker beskriva hur kommunala tjänstemän bemöter konsekvenserna av trenden att omvandla de byråkratiska välfärdssystemen till marknader för välfärdstjänster och utvecklar nya verktyg för styrning. Utgångspunkten för undersökningen är de förfrågningsunderlag tjänstemännen formulerar och som utgör grunden för upphandlingsprocessen. Fördjupad kunskap om hur upphandlingsprocessen utformas i praktiken samlas genom intervjuer med ansvariga tjänstemän vid Uppsala Kommun samt marknadschefen vid ett av kommunens utförarbolag. Undersökningen visar att tjänstemännen lägger stor vikt vid formuleringen av obligatoriska krav som utförarna måste leva upp till för att maximera de boendes välmående. Dessa krav utformas för att stärka tydlighet, uppföljningsbarhet och standardisering. Detta görs genom att öka mängden krav, använda och skapa normer för hur verksamheten bör bedrivas och att stärka professionella yrkesgruppers roll.

In this thesis I argue that technical communication as an academic curricular entity has struggled to define itself as either a humanities or scientific discipline. I argue that this crisis of identity is due to a larger, institutional flaw first identified by the science studies scholar Bruno Latour as the problem of the "modern constitution." Latour's argument, often referred to as Actor-Network Theory (ANT), suggests that the epistemological arguments about scientific certainty are built on a contradiction. In viewing the problem of technical communication's disciplinarity through the lens of ANT, I argue that technical communication can never be productive if it seeks to locate itself within any of the institutional camps of the modern university. Rather, I contend that technical communication is a strong example of a nonmodern discipline, and that its identity crisis can be utilized to take one step towards rewriting the institutional debate over scientific certainty.

Nearshore populations have been depleted and some have not yet recovered. Therefore, theoretical studies focus on improving fisheries management and designing marine protected areas (MPAs). Depleted populations may be undergoing an Allee effect, i.e. a decrease in fitness at low densities. Here, I constructed a marine metapopulation model that included pre- and post-dispersal Allee effects using a network theory approach. Networks represent metapopulations as groups of nodes connected by dispersal paths. With this model I answered four questions: What is the role of Allee effects on habitat occupancy? Are MPAs effective in recovering exploited populations? What is the importance of larval dispersal patterns in preventing local extinctions due to exploitation and Allee effects? Can exploitation fragment nearshore metapopulations? When weak Allee effects are included, habitat occupancy drops as larval retention decreases because more larvae are lost to unsuitable habitat. With strong Allee effects habitat occupancy also drops at high larval retention because more larvae are needed to overcome the Allee effect. Post-dispersal Allee effects seem more detrimental for nearshore metapopulations. MPA effectiveness seems also lower in a post-dispersal Allee effect scenario. In overexploited systems, local populations that go extinct are also less likely to recover even after protecting the whole coastline. In exploited nearshore metapopulations with Allee effects, local occupancy or the recovery of local populations depends not only on larval inflow from neighbor populations, but also on larval inflow for these neighbors. Nearshore metapopulations with intense fishing mortality and Allee effects may also suffer a decrease in dispersal strength and fragmentation. Population fragmentation occurs when large populations are split into smaller groups. A tool for detecting partitioning in a network is modularity. The modularity analysis performed for red abalone in the Southern California Bight showed that exploitation increases partitioning through time before the entire metapopulation collapses. These findings call for research effort in estimating the strength of potential Allee effects to prevent stock collapse and assess MPA effectiveness, evaluating the predictability of local occupancy by centrality metrics to help identify important sites for conservation, and using modularity analysis to quantify the health of exploited metapopulations to prevent their collapse. / text