This thesis considers strategic change from the novel perspective of a manager practically ‘activating’ it within a complex organisation. It involved 18 months of action research and participant observation within BBC Global News, where joint processes were developed across two converging businesses. A journal was maintained of meetings and events, access was granted to internal documentation, and 12 interviews were conducted. One contribution of this thesis is a new conceptualisation of the developing elements of organisational strategic posture and related environmental events as ‘stremes’: strategic memes representing relevant subsystems, ideas, and subcultures. The posture is depicted as a construction of multiple voices, often combining, sometimes clashing, as ideas compete for legitimacy. This allows the practitioner outlook to be presented through three linked perspectives. A ‘process’ approach maps the unfolding streme system; a ‘people’ approach considers the building of consensus to legitimise stremes; and a ‘practice’ approach considers the efficacy of action research in helping to craft change. It is found that not only do the actions of people shape the streme network; the complex, interdependent network also partially shapes their actions. This research builds on previous work on strategic change, but provides new narrative insight from a practitioner’s outlook. It also created ‘practical knowledge’, since many outputs of the process were implemented within the BBC, and may have relevance elsewhere.

The increasing prevalence of digital fabrication technologies and the emergence of a novel materiality in contemporary craft practice have created the need to redefine the critical context of digital jewellery and wearable futures. Previous research in this area, such as that presented by Sarah Kettley (2007a) and Jayne Wallace (2007), has provided the foundations for further enquiry but has not been advanced significantly since its inception. The artistic research presented in this thesis focuses on how smart materials and microelectronic components could be used to create synergetic digital jewellery objects and wearable futures that reflect changes in the body of their wearer and their environment through dynamic responses. Laying the foundations for a theory of <i>Interactive</i> <i>Craft</i> through evaluating different aspects of creative practice that relate to responsive objects with a close relationship to the human body is at the centre of this enquiry. Through identifying four distinct categories of wearable object, the <i>Taxonomy of the Wearable Object</i> is formulated and clearly delineates the current existing conceptual, technological and material perspectives that govern the relationships between different types of wearable objects. A particular focus is placed on exploring the concept of <i>Digital Enchantment</i> and how it could be utilised to progress towards developing the <i>Uncanny Object</i> that appears to possess biological characteristics and apparent agency, yet is a fully artificial construct. The potential for the practical application of a design methodology guided by playful engagement with novel materials, microelectronics and digital fabrication technologies is analysed, taking into account Ingold’s concept of the <i>textility of making </i>(Ingold, 2011). Through exploring the notion of the <i>Polymorphic</i> <i>Practitioner</i> in the context of <i>Alchemical Practice</i>, a model for experiential knowledge generation through engaging in cross-disciplinary collaboration is developed. This is supported by a qualitative survey of European materials libraries, including accounts of site visits that evaluate the usefulness of materials libraries for creative practitioners invested in novel materiality as well as visually documenting a selection of the visited libraries’ most intriguing material holdings. Utilising a scientific testing protocol, a practical body of work that centres on conducting extensive experiments with smart materials is developed, with a particular focus on testing the compatibility and colour outcomes of chromic pigments in silicone. The resulting chromic silicone samples are collated, together with sourced smart materials, in a customised materials library. Investigational prototypes and the <i>Microjewels</i> collection of digital jewellery and wearable futures that responds to external and bodily stimuli whilst engaging the wearer through playful interaction are presented as another outcome of this body of research.

There has been a long-standing need in the field of psychotherapy to document progress and show effectiveness. The evidence-based practice (EBP) movement has had considerable influence in the field of psychology as evidenced by the APA task force that adopted the stance of evidence-based practice in psychology (EBPP) to ensure quality and accountability for psychological services as well as the integration of science and practice. One of the primary components of EBPP is the use of routine outcome measures (ROMs), which seek to integrate research with practice while simultaneously documenting progress and enhancing treatment. Despite the wave of ROM in the field, implementation rates have remained low. Research has brought forth many practical and philosophical concerns of therapists using these measures in routine practice including time burden and local validity. The Clinically Adaptive Multidimensional Outcome Survey (CAMOS) was created to directly address clinicians' concerns with a specific focus on concerns of local validity. The CAMOS was designed to monitor several dimensions of functions, thus covering a wide range of issues. In this study the item pool proposed for the CAMOS was factor analyzed, and acceptable fit was found for a 6-factor model that contained 42 items. The 6 factors include (a) psychological distress, (b) relationship distress, (c) therapy expectations, (d) spiritual distress, (e) physical health distress, and (f) work/school distress. It is of note that spirituality emerged as a distinct factor with this data set and the implications and applications are discussed. With this multidimensional foundation, clinicians could more flexibly use the CAMOS to increase local validity. Clinical applications and future directions are discussed.

Divining the Martyr is a project developed in order to achieve the Master of Arts (Research) degree. This is composed of 70% creative work displayed in an exhibition and 30% written work contained in this exegesis. The project was developed through practice-led research in order to answer the question “In what ways can creative practice synthesize and illuminate issues of martyrdom in contemporary makeover culture?” The question is answered using a postmodern framework about martyrdom as it is manifested in contemporary society. The themes analyzed throughout this exegesis relate to concepts about sainthood and makeover culture combined with actual examples of tragic cases of cosmetic procedures. The outcomes of this project fused three elements: Mexican cultural history, Mexican (Catholic) religious traditions, and cosmetic makeover surgery. The final outcomes were a series of installations integrating contemporary and traditional interdisciplinary media, such as sound, light, x-ray technology, sculpture, video and aspects of performance. These creative works complement each other in their presentation and concept, promoting an original contribution to the theme of contemporary martyrdom in makeover culture.

This thesis considers strategic change from the novel perspective of a manager practically ‘activating’ it within a complex organisation. It involved 18 months of action research and participant observation within BBC Global News, where joint processes were developed across two converging businesses. A journal was maintained of meetings and events, access was granted to internal documentation, and 12 interviews were conducted. One contribution of this thesis is a new conceptualisation of the developing elements of organisational strategic posture and related environmental events as ‘stremes’: strategic memes representing relevant subsystems, ideas, and subcultures. The posture is depicted as a construction of multiple voices, often combining, sometimes clashing, as ideas compete for legitimacy. This allows the practitioner outlook to be presented through three linked perspectives. A ‘process’ approach maps the unfolding streme system; a ‘people’ approach considers the building of consensus to legitimise stremes; and a ‘practice’ approach considers the efficacy of action research in helping to craft change. It is found that not only do the actions of people shape the streme network; the complex, interdependent network also partially shapes their actions. This research builds on previous work on strategic change, but provides new narrative insight from a practitioner’s outlook. It also created ‘practical knowledge’, since many outputs of the process were implemented within the BBC, and may have relevance elsewhere.

Case reports describe significant norovirus gastroenteritis morbidity in immunocompromised patients. We evaluated norovirus pathogenesis in prospectively enrolled solid organ (SOT) and hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) patients with diarrhea who presented to Texas Children's Hospital and submitted stool for enteric testing. Noroviruses were detected by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Clinical outcomes of norovirus diarrhea and non-norovirus diarrhea patients, matched by transplanted organ type, were compared. Norovirus infection was identified in 25 (22%) of 116 patients, more frequently than other enteropathogens. Fifty percent of norovirus patients experienced diarrhea lasting ≥14 days, with median duration of 12.5 days (range 1–324 days); 29% developed diarrhea recurrence. Fifty-five percent of norovirus patients were hospitalized for diarrhea, with 27% requiring intensive care unit (ICU) admission. One HSCT recipient developed pneumatosis intestinalis. Three HSCT patients expired ≤6 months of norovirus diarrhea onset. Compared to non-norovirus diarrhea patients, norovirus patients experienced significantly more frequent ICU admission (27% vs. 0%, p = 0.02), greater serum creatinine rise (median 0.3 vs. 0.2 mg/dL, p = 0.01), and more weight loss (median 1.6 vs. 0.6 kg, p < 0.01). Noroviruses are an important cause of diarrhea in pediatric transplant patients and are associated with significant clinical complications.

This thesis explores the ways that colonisation has resulted in Maori being cast as different and the other in Aotearoa/New Zealand. It challenges perceptions of relationships between Maori and western knowledge and between science and practice, drawing on a range of theorists, scholarly writings and multiple research and evaluation projects. The study examines how these perceptions, and the definitions arising from them, tend to compartmentalise Maori knowledge and research and, in doing so, serve non-Maori agendas more than they serve Maori aspirations. The thesis looks at the impacts that the world of the coloniser has had on our ways of knowing and ways of practising. Through illustrating initiatives that operate within Maori paradigms and collaborations between Maori and non-Maori, the development of equitable relationships is explored. Key findings are the need for a more inclusive understanding of knowledge and research practice in order to reframe the way we (coloniser and colonised) look at and express our understandings of the world and how these might be operationalised through research relationships. Part of the contribution of this thesis is to provide a framework for more equitable research relationships, focusing on non- Maori development. This is suggested as a counter to the constant examination and defining of Maori as different and in need of development.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-08-20T13:48:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Ana_Clara_Correa_Henning_Dissertacao.pdf: 3046106 bytes, checksum: 97978ea91cad45ee86b8cfa5e47eccde (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-11-14 / This thesis follows Curricular Research, Professionalization and Teaching Studies, and is based on investigation of Cultural Studies, Basil Bernstein s analyses on classification and framing, Boaventura de Souza Santos interpretation of the paradigmatic transition of contemporary science, as well as Max Horkheimer s and Theodor Adorno s analyses on the dual relationship between instrumental and emancipative reason. The teacher s proposal of curricular recontextualization of legal practice and research encompassing theoretical, jurisprudential and field research was performed by three professors and was put into practice by twenty-one undergraduate students attending the first and second terms of the Law Course at Anhanguera Educational/Atlântico Sul College in Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, from March to December 2007 and, in two specific cases, up to the beginning of 2008. The activities included curricular components of Legal Science Methodology, Legal Anthropology and Legal Sociology. The pedagogic practice aimed to build emancipative and critical knowledge by means of interdisciplinary and multicultural research that was able to connect academic legal knowledge to the popular and practical lore of groups and local communities, eventually providing students with a broader, more inclusive view of law. For such it intended to modify the traditional pedagogic code of Law Courses, which is based on the Positivist Theory, by investing on flexibility of power and social control, being guided by the characteristics of the emerging paradigm according to the theorization used in the initial proposal. A case study of qualitative approach was performed by means of semistructured interviews whose results confirmed the possibility of inverting the poles of western rationality, however small, and that of building emancipative knowledge directed towards the autonomy of thought in students, the critical analysis of state law, and the addition of other legal rules, prepared and applied by local communities. / A presente dissertação foi desenvolvida na Linha de Pesquisa Currículo, Profissionalização e Trabalho Docente, tendo por fundamentos principais as investigações acerca dos Estudos Culturais, de Basil Bernstein, especialmente sobre classificação e enquadramento, Boaventura de Sousa Santos e a transição paradigmática da ciência contemporânea e Max Horkheimer e Theodor Adorno, quanto à relação dual entre razão instrumental e emancipatória. Nesse texto é examinada a proposta docente de recontextualização curricular da prática de pesquisa jurídica, abrangendo a pesquisa teórica, jurisprudencial e de campo, realizada por três professores e efetivada por vinte e um alunos do primeiro e do segundo semestre do Curso de Direito da Anhanguera Educacional/Faculdade Atlântico Sul de Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, entre março e dezembro de 2007, e, em dois casos, estendendo-se até o começo de 2008, em atividade envolvendo os componentes curriculares de Metodologia da Ciência do Direito, Antropologia Jurídica e Sociologia Jurídica. Essa prática pedagógica teve como objetivo construir um conhecimento emancipatório e crítico através de uma investigação transdisciplinar e multicultural, que conectasse o saber acadêmico-jurídico com os saberes populares e práticos de grupos e comunidades locais e que, ao final, proporcionasse aos alunos uma percepção de direito mais ampla e inclusiva. Para isso, pretendeu modificar o código pedagógico tradicional dos cursos de Direito, baseado na escola positivista, investindo na flexibilização do poder e do controle social e orientando-se pelas características do paradigma emergente, segundo as teorizações utilizadas na proposta inicial. Foi realizado um estudo de caso de abordagem qualitativa, por meio de entrevistas semi-estruturadas, cujos resultados confirmaram a possibilidade da inversão dos pólos da racionalidade ocidental, ainda que de maneira tênue, e da construção de um conhecimento-emancipação junto aos alunos, voltado à autonomia de pensamento, à análise crítica do direito estatal e à inclusão de outros regramentos jurídicos, elaborados e aplicados pelas comunidades locais.

The Bark Project is a practice-based research venture that uses scientific tools to characterize materials and design methods to explore materials that lead to longer lifecycle applications for tree bark. This project is part of the Matters of Activity excellence cluster research group Adaptive Fibrous Materials, which is aimed at a deeper understanding of biological material, their activity within their environment and adaptation for future scenarios.

For more than 40 years, a tremendous number of studies have empirically explored the relationship between Corporate Environmental Performance (CEP) and Corporate Financial Performance (CFP). This study considers the relationship from a new perspective—via a qualitative research approach based on expert interviews. First, practitioners are queried for their view on the link between CEP and CFP and how to measure it. Since the vast majority see a positive relationship, this study contributes with a new form of evidence that it pays to be green. The chosen qualitative approach also allows a more detailed analysis of underlying cause-and-effect mechanisms. For instance, interviewed practitioners emphasize a direct and indirect impact from CEP on CFP. Second, the study conducts interviews with experts from research and associations (non-practitioners) and compares the viewpoints of the two interview groups. One prevalent difference refers to the fact that non-practitioners do not focus on the two impact levels. Moreover, business experts perceive the link between CEP and CFP as much less complex and reveal more pragmatically oriented considerations. The study then discusses how the interview results and identified differences can be used to direct future research and to support corporations in their move towards sustainability.