Thesis (M.Phil.)--Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 75-76). Also available in electronic version.

Stuttgart, Univ., Diss., 1999.

Thesis (M.Com.(Informatics))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Abstract in English. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of North Carolina at Wilmington, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf : [38]).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, Los Angeles, 2004. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 206-216).

There are three different uses of the term 'information' in ordinary language: in the restricted sense, it means diverse types of material objects, such as data or documents ('information as thing'); alternatively, the term is used as in reference to the act of informing or becoming informed ('information as process'), or to equate to knowledge ('information as knowledge'). Each of these connotations represents a legitimate view of information in its own right, being equally significant to information-intensive organisations. The literature lacks studies that approach information from an integrative viewpoint, however. The purpose of this study was to explore and develop the notion of 'information governance' as an integrative, systemic approach to information in the context of research organisations. Soft Systems Methodology was used in a case study involving the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation. Qualitative data was gathered through in-depth interviews with researchers and information/knowledge managers, followed by a thematic, two-level analysis. From a 'macro level' of analysis (the wider Brazilian agricultural research system) it was found that, to solve increasingly complex research problems, collaborative, multidisciplinary networking is needed. On the other hand, competitive forces are continuously emanating from the systems of research steering, funds and resources' allocation, quality control, and recognition and reward. This conflict inhibits the collaborative sharing of 'information as thing' and 'as knowledge', disturbs internal communication flows and contributes to low levels of synergy and cross-departmental partnerships, ultimately affecting research outcomes. At a 'meso level' (the local practices and culture of agricultural knowledge production), different epistemic cultures were identified (named in vitro, in situ and in silico research), which respond differently to the opposing forces of collaboration and competition. Based on a deep understanding of the agricultural research system and underlying epistemic cultures, a framework for effective governance of information was developed. Action to improve the governance of information at Embrapa would involve nurturing an information culture that supports collaborative work. Given that interactions between researchers are determined by their individual pursuits and struggles, this would require a change in the corporate system of performance evaluation and reward, according to the different epistemic cultures.

Vor dem Hintergrund zahlreicher Digitalisierungsinitiativen befinden sich weite Teile der Geistes- und Sozialwissenschaften derzeit in einer Transition hin zur großflächigen Anwendung digitaler Methoden. Zwischen den Fachdisziplinen und der Informatik zeigen sich große Differenzen in der Methodik und bei der gemeinsamen Kommunikation. Diese durch interdisziplinäre Projektarbeit zu überbrücken, ist das zentrale Anliegen der sogenannten e-Humanities. Da Text der häufigste Untersuchungsgegenstand in diesem Feld ist, wurden bereits viele Verfahren des Text Mining auf Problemstellungen der Fächer angepasst und angewendet. Während sich langsam generelle Arbeitsabläufe und Best Practices etablieren, zeigt sich, dass generische Lösungen für spezifische Teilprobleme oftmals nicht geeignet sind. Um für diese Anwendungsfälle maßgeschneiderte digitale Werkzeuge erstellen zu können, ist eines der Kernprobleme die adäquate digitale Repräsentation von Text sowie seinen vielen Kontexten und Bezügen. In dieser Arbeit wird eine neue Form der Textrepräsentation vorgestellt, die auf Property-Graph-Datenbanken beruht – einer aktuellen Technologie für die Speicherung und Abfrage hochverknüpfter Daten. Darauf aufbauend wird das Textrecherchesystem „Kadmos“ vorgestellt, mit welchem nutzerdefinierte asynchrone Webservices erstellt werden können. Es bietet flexible Möglichkeiten zur Erweiterung des Datenmodells und der Programmfunktionalität und kann Textsammlungen mit mehreren hundert Millionen Wörtern auf einzelnen Rechnern und weitaus größere in Rechnerclustern speichern. Es wird gezeigt, wie verschiedene Text-Mining-Verfahren über diese Graphrepräsentation realisiert und an sie angepasst werden können. Die feine Granularität der Zugriffsebene erlaubt die Erstellung passender Werkzeuge für spezifische fachwissenschaftliche Anwendungen. Zusätzlich wird demonstriert, wie die graphbasierte Modellierung auch über die rein textorientierte Forschung hinaus gewinnbringend eingesetzt werden kann. / In light of the recent massive digitization efforts, most of the humanities disciplines are currently undergoing a fundamental transition towards the widespread application of digital methods. In between those traditional scholarly fields and computer science exists a methodological and communicational gap, that the so-called \\\"e-Humanities\\\" aim to bridge systematically, via interdisciplinary project work. With text being the most common object of study in this field, many approaches from the area of Text Mining have been adapted to problems of the disciplines. While common workflows and best practices slowly emerge, it is evident that generic solutions are no ultimate fit for many specific application scenarios. To be able to create custom-tailored digital tools, one of the central issues is to digitally represent the text, as well as its many contexts and related objects of interest in an adequate manner. This thesis introduces a novel form of text representation that is based on Property Graph databases – an emerging technology that is used to store and query highly interconnected data sets. Based on this modeling paradigm, a new text research system called \\\"Kadmos\\\" is introduced. It provides user-definable asynchronous web services and is built to allow for a flexible extension of the data model and system functionality within a prototype-driven development process. With Kadmos it is possible to easily scale up to text collections containing hundreds of millions of words on a single device and even further when using a machine cluster. It is shown how various methods of Text Mining can be implemented with and adapted for the graph representation at a very fine granularity level, allowing the creation of fitting digital tools for different aspects of scholarly work. In extended usage scenarios it is demonstrated how the graph-based modeling of domain data can be beneficial even in research scenarios that go beyond a purely text-based study.

Many Low and Middle Income Countries (LAMICs) still lack sufficient health research capacity to build a local evidence-base with which to inform policy and improve population health. Recognising this, The 2013 World Health Report called for all nations to be producers of health research. To achieve this, new strategies that can develop sustainable locally-led capacity are required. Among the health research capacities needed, ability to conduct clinical trials is important. However, there is no evidence-informed guidance on the best ways to develop locally-led trial capacity. This thesis aims to fill this gap. Three cases-studies using qualitative methods to explore the barriers and enablers to locally-led trial conduct were conducted in Ethiopia, Cameroon and Sri Lanka. Current and potential local trial researchers and health research system stakeholders were recruited. A synthesis of the health research capacity development literature was conducted to compare the case-studies’ findings with wider published perspectives. These data permit an examination of the key issues facing the development of locally-led trial capacity in LAMICs. Barriers and enablers to locally-led trial conduct were found at macro, institutional and individual levels. Although different country research systems, and institutions and individuals within them, were variably successful at conducting trials, the key issues and mechanisms influencing successful trial undertaking were largely similar. Agreement among the case-studies and with the diverse literature suggests that many of the findings will be transferable to other LAMICs, and are also of relevance to other health research methods. A conceptual framework explaining the antecedents and consequences of locally-led trial undertaking in LAMICS is presented. This identifies the following factors as important for supporting locally-led trial undertaking: awareness and appreciation for health research and clinical trials; motivation to conduct clinical trials; availability of human resources with trial knowledge and technical skills; research leadership capabilities; ability to form collaborations, effective teams and acquire resources; trial management dedicated to sustainable capacity development and producing useful research; and system-wide prioritisation of health research. The theories of change presented within this framework are used to develop practical recommendations for development of locally-led trial capacity in LAMICs. These recommendations have four inter-related goals: fostering pro-research cultures in stakeholder institutions; developing trial leaders and staff; providing a facilitative operational environment for trials; and ensuring trial research has an impact. However, to create the will to enact change, advocacy from research champions and conducting trials in a way that benefits local institutions and population health is needed.

資訊科技的快速發展促使行銷研究的作法轉變：由調查法(survey)轉變為觀察法(observation)，掃描器、電腦網路、資料庫等等資訊科技的出現，使得行銷研究開始使用資訊系統提供資訊，而取代了傳統專案式的行銷研究方法。Single-source系統利用資料庫、光學掃描器等電子式的裝置，利用消費者固定樣本，衡量相同消費者所接受的行銷刺激及對這些刺激的反應，建立行銷因果關係的連結。國外single-source系統行之有年，國內尚未有任何的應用，因此本研究將從資訊系統規劃的觀點來進行single-source系統的規劃與設計。 　　本研究採用個案研究法，選取三家廣告公司與三家消費包裝品製造商為個案公司，利用資訊系統規劃的方法論，進行資訊需求的研究。資訊需求從行銷決策流程、關鍵成功因素與問卷進行分析，探討國內系統潛在使用者對行銷研究的資訊需求。研究的結果顯示，國內的廠商對系統有很大的需求，且國內的需要也與國外不盡相同。最後本研究依照國內的資訊需求設計一初步的single-source系統架構。

近十年來，由於各類新式電子測試裝置的應用，而有新行銷研究系統之出現，此系統可不斷地監控市場，利用最即時的資料，從而使公司可進行以往所不能及的行銷活動及行銷決策。在多種新行銷研究系統中，single-source系統便是其中最具代表性的一種系統。 　　Single-source法係使用電子測試裝置衡量來自同一群特定消費樣本的各種資訊（如購買行為、媒體收視行為），以了解行銷上的因果關係。因此本研究主要研究問題有：1.瞭解國內目前使用傳統行銷研究方法的企業制定廣告決策的過程為何；2.了解在使用此種新行銷研究系統所提供的資料後，對企業的廣告決策過程會產生什麼影響。 　　本研究係屬於探索性研究，主要是藉由參考國外相關文獻，與實地訪談國內消費包裝品製造商與廣告公司，以探討行銷研究系統對於廣告決策、廣告效果以及二者間之互動關連的影響，並進一步分析行銷研究系統在臺灣的可用性。 　　經由理論與實務之觸發印證，本研究發現下面幾點結論： 　　1.新行銷研究系統所提供的資訊其品質將較過去為佳，而且可對市場做更細部的描述。 　　2.新行銷研究系統主要是在量方面資料的提供，至於質方面的資料則無法滿足企業的需要。 　　3.企業的廣告作業流程將不會因採用新行銷研究系統而有所改變。 　　4.在溝通效果上，新行銷研究系統僅可準確地衡量出廣告的知曉與接觸效果，至於消費者態度改變的效果則無法完整地衡量出消費者內心想法之改變。 　　5.新行銷研究系統可以衡量出真正的銷售效果。 　　6.不同的行銷研究方法與資料，對於廣告決策與廣告效果關聯性之影響也不同。傳統行銷研究方法與資料並不能做因果推論，而新行銷研究系統方法與資料可進行因果推論。