While information communications technology provides new opportunties for supporting mentoring, there is a need to explore how effectively these potential benefits are being realised. The evaluation of the effectiveness of structured e-mentoring in the small business context is problematic because it is contingent upon a multitude of contextual factors and characterised by a range of research difficulties. A review of 31 effectiveness studies across the mentoring, ementoring and small business fields undertaken as part of this study provided a basis for systematically determining the nature of these research challenges. They included the heterogeneity and divergent pedagogical needs of individuals, the complexity of the mentoring phenomenon, measurement difficulties, the paradigm location of evaluation models, inherent problems with evaluation methodologies and data quality, and the almost contradictory imperatives to evaluate individualised outcomes while exploring commonalities and patterns in effectiveness. To extend understanding and knowledge in the field of e-mentoring for small business, it will be necessary to develop empirically-based theories of effective e-mentoring systems. As a means of contributing to the generation and refinement of theory, this study proposed a framework as a potential solution to some of the research challenges and contextual contingencies identified. The framework integrates the DeLone and McLean model of Information Systems Success (1992) which is based on the principle that Information Systems success is best evaluated by considering the dimensions of effectiveness - System quality, Information quality, Use, User satisfaction and Impact - together as a system rather than in isolation. The Rickard model extends this principle to structured e-mentoring, and adapts and redefines DeLone and McLean’s Information Systems dimensions for the mentoring context. The study investigated the framework as a means of consolidating and classifying the metrics used in the informing disciplinary areas, as a reference tool for designing qualitative and quantitative effectiveness measurement instruments, for selecting situationally-responsive research strategies, and most critically, for describing, classifying and interpreting variability in effectiveness outcomes. The framework was applied to evaluate the effectiveness of an Australian e-mentoring program targeted at self-employed professional contractors called Mentors Online. This examination of actual practice provided a basis for proposing a set of determinants of e-mentoring effectiveness. This work in turn provided a basis for understanding how the potential benefits of structured e-mentoring are being realised. Creating a nexus between structured e-mentoring effectiveness evaluation and DeLone and McLean’s Information Systems success model was shown to provide a justified, sufficient and useful basis for evaluating structured e-mentoring effectiveness, and therefore a means of contributing to the body of international literature on e-mentoring effectiveness.

Information Technology has been a significant research area for some time, but its nature has changed considerably since the Internet became prominent just over a decade ago. Many researchers have studied and proposed theories and models of technology acceptance in order to predict and explain user behaviour with technology to account for rapid change in both technologies and their environments. Each theory or model has been proposed with different sets of determinants and moderators and most of them have been developed in the U.S. It is therefore questioned whether the theories and models of technology acceptance that have been developed, modified, and extended in the U.S. can be used in other countries, especially in Thailand. It is also questioned whether there might be other determinants and moderators that also play important roles in this specific environment. This thesis (1) reviewed literature in respect of nine prominent theories and models, (2) reviewed previous literature about IT acceptance and usage within four contexts of study, (3) investigated the extent to which academics use and intend to use the Internet in their work, (4) investigated how to motivate academics to make full use of the Internet in their work, (5) investigated to what extent using the Internet helps in improving academics’ professional practice, professional development and quality of working life, (6) formulated a research model of technology acceptance regarding Internet usage by Thai academics, and (7) generated and validated the research model that best describes Thai academics’ Internet usage behaviour and behaviour intention. These last two objectives represent the main focus of the thesis. Questionnaire survey method was used to collect primary data from 927 academics within Business Schools in 20 Public Universities in Thailand. The survey yielded 455 usable questionnaires, with a response rate of 49%. Statistical analysis methods and Structural Equation Modelling with AMOS version 6.0 were used to analyse data. The research model was formulated with five core determinants of usage and up to nine moderators of key relationships. It was then tested and modified, the final modified model evidenced by goodness of fit of the model to the data, explained 31.6% (Square Multiple Correlation) of the variance in usage behaviour in teaching , 42.6% in usage behaviour in other tasks, 55.7% in behaviour intention in teaching and 59.8% in behaviour intention in other tasks. From the findings, three core determinants: perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and self-efficacy significantly determined usage behaviour in teaching. Two core determinants: perceived usefulness and self-efficacy significantly determined usage behaviour in other tasks. Finally, usage behaviour significantly influenced behaviour intention. In addition three moderators: age, e-university plan and level of reading and writing, impacted the influence of key determinants toward usage behaviour. Only two moderators: age and research university plan, impacted the influence of usage behaviour toward behaviour intention. The rest including gender, education level, academic position, experience and Thai language usage did not impact the influence of the key determinants toward usage behaviour and did not impact the influence of usage behaviour toward behaviour intention. Consequently, the final modified research model which is called the “Internet Acceptance Model” or “IAM” has the power to explain and predict user behaviour in a Thai Business Schools environment. A thorough understanding of the model may help practitioners to analyse the reasons for resistance toward the technology and also help them to take efficient measures to improve user acceptance and usage of the technology.

For sometime there has been a push for developing countries to adopt information and communication technologies (ICTs) as a pathway to economic development. However, to date, the widespread adoption and use of ICTs in these countries has been sluggish. This is especially true amongst small enterprises, which play a major economic role in developing countries. In the context of developed countries a number of benefits have been linked with the use of the ICTs amongst large, medium, and small tourism enterprises (STEs). This suggests that STEs in developing nations can also derive some benefit from the use of ICTs. However, entrepreneurs in developing countries are hindered by the underlying environmental limitations that characterise these countries (such as the inadequate and unreliable infrastructure, high cost of ICTs, and unstable political environment). This suggests that a tool for STEs that allows them to assess their business environment by reflecting inwards and outwards of the business to make informed decisions on e-commerce would be of use. The purpose of this thesis was to develop an e-readiness framework for STEs in developing countries. The threshold of twenty employees was used to classify businesses as ‘small’. In developing the framework, the intention was to take into account the specific characteristics of small businesses in developing countries. The study was carried out across two major phases. Phase One involved an online focus group with a panel of experts. The purpose of this phase was to take the framework that was developed based on a literature review and present it to a group of experts and use their comments to refine it. After making changes to the framework the researcher set out to refine it further using an investigation of actual STEs in two developing countries. In total twenty-six tourism operators participated in the study. In addition to discussions with the tourism operators this phase also involved examining their online activities, observations, and an investigation of the country e-commerce environment. The final framework, produced as a result of thorough literature review and two data collection phases, has been placed through rigour at the conceptual design stage by academics and at the applied level with actual by STEs. The resultant framework identifies the most relevant determinants of e-readiness and identifies how STEs may exploit e-commerce.

The Enterprise Modelling (EM) approach to systems design is followed to promote business information systems integration and a high degree of data integrity. This research reports on a comprehensive case study of one of Australia’s leading telecommunications carriers and service providers. The case study relates to the advent of Mobile Number Portability (MNP) into the Australian telecommunications market on 25 September 2001, a world’s first, real-time ‘Churn’ business process. Specifically, it reports on Service Level Agreement (SLA) and reporting performance of two similar systems evaluated in terms of accepted Information Systems Architectural Criteria. The researcher derived a number of architectural evaluation criteria from the literature, which provided insight into the ways of evaluating information systems. One purpose-built operational system, named the Mobile Number Portability System (MNPS) was designed and built using the latest object-oriented techniques and tools. The other system, named the Data Repository System (DRS) was designed using the EM approach. The MNPS failed to meet SLA functionality and reporting functionality. It performed poorly when evaluated in terms of accepted Information Systems Architectural Criteria. For example, the MNPS’ support of fundamental business rules was extremely poor. It should be noted that the SLA functionality was the most complex aspect of the system to design and implement, as it constantly changes according to the requirements of the Regulator (ACA). Hence, it was decided to build this functionality into a separate system, the DRS using a different approach based on EM. The new system was designed using this top-down approach. The DRS successfully met all SLA functionality and reporting functionality. It performed extremely well when evaluated against the Information Systems Architectural Criteria. The DRS significantly outperformed the MNPS confirming the claims made for the EM approach.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Virginia Commonwealth University, 2007. / Prepared for: School of Education. Bibliography: leaves 128-142. Also available online via the Internet.

Thesis (M.S. in Information Technology Management)--Naval Postgraduate School, June 2010. / Thesis Advisor(s): Buettner, Raymond ; Second Reader: Herrera, Michael. "June 2010." Description based on title screen as viewed on July 14, 2010. Author(s) subject terms: Immersive Virtual Environment, IVE, Information Operations, IO, Influence, Virtual World, China, Information Warfare, Avatar, Transformed Social Interaction, TSI, Captology, Massively Multi-player Online Roll-Playing Game, MMORPG, Cyberspace, Cyber-Warfare. Includes bibliographical references (p. 59-65). Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2006. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 142-150).

This thesis has been supported by an ARC Industry Linkage grant and sought to explain the process of adoption of information technologies by comparing two main theories that have been developed to explain adoption of innovations, that of innovation diffusion and that of actor network theory. In the process of analysis for this thesis I decided very early on that the better way of explaining the pattern of adoption was by using the framework of actor network theory supported by qualitative methodology. A major contribution of this thesis could be seen as an ANT analysis of IT/IM in general practice. It appears that the multi partner, multi discipline research approach was a success for it created the opportunity to draw on diverse backgrounds. More importantly this research indicates that the qualitative research methodology of Actor Network Analysis has delivered an insight that is richer in data than the quantitative research that is usually undertaken in this field. This process assisted with enlightening the barriers and enablers to the adoption of information technology/information management (IT/IM) in general practice in a particular study area and to explain why, in the study area the pattern is fragmented and unclear. This study found it is important to note the difference between the adoption of IT/IM by general practice and adoption and use by general practitioners. The adoption process has been complex and many stakeholders have grappled with issues such as the cost of computerization, the rapid changes in technology, the lack of agreed standards and the problems of introducing technology information solutions in to the daily work place of general practice. Through comparison via case studies, extended interviews and implementing several study phases to develop a longitudinal aspect for the research, the teasing out of such issues as decision making in general practice and general practice as small business was undertaken. Through review of models that seek to explain adoption I will finalise by formalizing which theory of adoption better suits explanation of adoption of innovation within this study area. This thesis reports that while there are generally pockets of high uptake and use of IT/IM, this is not the complete picture across the study area and this reflects the situation in Australia. There are differences in adoption from one practice to another and even within practices; there are differences in adoption in terms of acceptance of an idea versus doing; in the study area there is only one practice which can reasonably claim to be paperless. Throughout this thesis a series of vignettes will be developed which set out to provide a whole play. Each vignette presents an aspect in the total picture of computerization. This thesis does not set out to provide the whole picture as that is still a work in progress, as such this thesis has no definite border, and the vignettes will sometimes show only the head and shoulders of the story with the background fading off. Other vignettes are very clear but as with all vignettes there are questions about the shaded areas. It is in these areas that questions arise to demonstrate there is greater depth in the story of the adoption of IT/IM in general practice in the study area, and, that adoption of IT/IM in general practice is complex and a continuing developmental story.

The aim of this research project was to develop an implementation framework for the prevention and management of chronic diseases in general practice. Chronic diseases - or conditions as it is also commonly known, like Diabetes, Asthma, Cardiovascular Disease, etc., are persistent or recurring illnesses or impairments lasting for years that cannot be cured, however some can be prevented from becoming a chronic disease. Unfortunately, millions of chronic diseases sufferers worldwide end up dying prematurely and in many cases unnecessarily due to lack of appropriate care.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Virginia, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 65-70).