The motive of this is to treat [The study on the correlation between the media exposure rate and the ways of interpellation of the representatives and their interactions with the press.---The case of The Kaohsiung City Council]¡CAccording to Yuon-Mau Chao(1988), through practicing the interpellation by the representatives, the city council is able to oversee and to check and balance the administrative department, to reveal the administration deficiency and abuse, make people understand the problems of the their township and reflect the opinions of the citizen; The interpellation is not just the right but also the obligation of the representatives, but not all the topics concerned by the representatives are favored by the press. Therefore, this thesis is to study how would the ways of interpellation of the representatives and their interaction with the press correlated with the media exposure rate¡D According to the historical documents of Kaohsiung City Council, After Taiwan was recovered from Japan, a bill named "the Plans for Establishing Representative Organizations at Different Levels" was implemented on December 26,1945 to carry out local autonomy. According to the promulgated regulations of "Organization Act of City People's Political Councils" and "Election Act of City Councilors", Kaohsiung City People's Political Council was founded on April 13, 1946. It was renamed as Kaohsiung City Council on January 11, 1951 and was subjected to Taiwan Provincial Assembly. On July 1, 1979, Kaohsiung City was elevated to a special municipality under the direct supervision of Executive Yuan and The City Council shifted to Kaohsiung City Provisional Council. On December 25, 1981, the councilors of the first term of the City Council of Kaohsiung special municipality were inaugurated¡CNowadays, the 7th term of the City Council of Kaohsiung has 44 councilors, including the KMT¡BPFT¡BDPP¡BTSU and NPA et al but they can be grouped into two main factions : the Blue faction(KMT¡BPFT) and the Green faction(DPP¡BTSU); No matter which faction the councilors are belonged to, most of them would strive for more government resources through official or nonofficial to be denoted to local constructions in order to consolidate his influence and votes¡D The councilors directly elected by the people are responsible for speaking for the people and have the right to canvass the bills and the budget for the city government¡CTherefore, the action of the councilor is going to affect some people, and become one of the resources of important news¡CBut not all representatives¡¦ speeches and actions are going to be favored by the press and gain a positive report, the correlation between the media exposure rate and the ways of interpellation of the representatives and their interaction with the press is the key theme of this research¡D This study takes the 7th term councilors of the City Council of Kaohsiung as the research population, and apply the [case study method] to study the correlations between the interpellation of the councilors in the parliament¡Bthe public hearing outside the parliament¡Bsymposium¡Bmediation council¡Bpress conference¡Bprotest led by the councilor et al and the councilors¡¦ interactions with the press and the media exposure rate. We hope to find out some valuable conclusions and concrete advises on the councilors shooting for media exposure and the presentations of the news by the reporters¡D

The master thesis focuses on the management of the municipality and its sources of information. Thesis mainly applies on the information based on the accounting reform of public finances in 2010. The aim is to describe the information, show its explanatory power and its power in the control of the municipality management performed by taxpayer. In terms of the volume of resources, taxpayers should to be the most important stakeholder group using municipality management information. They provide the largest amount of funds as a form of compulsory payments to the public exchequer for providing activities of the municipality. The last part of thesis presents information on the usability of the data on the economy of the town Semily in 2013.

This study investigates the impact of consumer sophistication on emerging market firms’ ability to innovate. Three constructs, namely, innovation capabilities, sources of information and strategies, were identified as critical factors in the innovation process. By leveraging off these factors emerging market firms may gain sustainable competitive advantages in a highly competitive environment. The context of the study was South African based software development firms competing in more developed markets (wealthier), less developed markets (poorer) and domestic markets only (middle income). Data collection took place via telephonic survey. It was found that the size of the firm as measured by the number of employees is related to the consumer sophistication. Firms in less developed markets tend to be significantly larger than firms in more developed markets and the domestic market. Suppliers and clients as sources of information that impact the firms’ innovation development were found to be statistically significant. Firms in the more developed markets made considerable use of international clients for innovation ideas whereas firms in the domestic market leveraged ideas off local suppliers. The firms’ resource strategy was found to be significantly different across the three groups. Domestic market firms considered themselves ahead of the industry compared to less developed markets who considered themselves average with regard to having the latest equipment. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Background: Evidence-informed practice (EIP) is part of a healthcare ethos, in which practitioners apply evidence together with their expertise contextualized by the unique values of the patient. Studies about EIP focus on attitudes or confidence related to EIP. Individuals’ abilities to assess their own knowledge or performance are low. Therefore, a positive rating of attitude or confidence does not likely portray accurately the EIP knowledge or ability of the practitioner. It was hypothesized that awareness of evidence might be a more accurate measure. Objective: This study sought to understand registered massage therapists’ (RMTs) awareness of the current evidence for practice and to identify sources of information that inform that awareness. Methods: An online questionnaire-based mixed-methods cross-sectional study was conducted. Ontario RMTs were invited to participate. This report focuses on the results of the quantitative analysis. Results: In total, 1,762 questionnaires were included; a 16.9% response rate. The mean awareness score was 9.4 ± 7.2. A multiple regression showed four factors that explained 4% of the variation seen in the awareness score: membership in the professional association (RMTAO), EIP attitude score, post-graduate education, and home-based practice. Of seven sources of information provided, respondents rated cumulative professional experience as most important, followed by recent research studies and education. Cumulative professional experience also rated as most frequently used, followed by other RMTs and education. Conclusions: This study investigated the level of awareness of evidence of RMTs. The results of the awareness score showed opportunity for improvement and require further investigation. Future research should explore other factors, which may show a better model of predictability of the awareness score. It is proposed that awareness of the evidence for practice might be a better predictor of use of evidence in practice than self-reported attitude or capacity but further research is needed. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Skogberg, N. (2016). Young adults’ experiences and opinions of health information. A survey study. Bachelor thesis in Public Health Science. Department of Occupational and Public Health Science. Faculty of Health and Occupational Studies. University of Gävle, Sweden. Objective: The objective of this study was to explore the experiences and opinions of health information among 40-100 young adults, aged 18-25 years. Method: A cross-sectional survey study was conducted, using a questionnaire in paper form as well as using a web questionnaire. Results: The results showed that the social media (for example Facebook and Instagram) was both the most used and preferred source of information. Most of the respondents thought that the information they found was useful and that the information was appealing and/or interesting. However, the majority of the respondents did feel that the information they found was lacking something. Conclusions: Social media can be a useful tool to reach out with health information to young adults. It is important that the information is perceived as accessible, reliable and credible. It is also important to make sure that young adults have access to information which has a scientific basis. / Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka unga vuxnas (18-25 år) erfarenheter av och åsikter om hälsoinformation. Studien rörde information som unga vuxna stött på under de senaste två månaderna före studiens genomförande. Faktorer som källor till hälsoinformation, informationens användbarhet samt om informationen ansågs vara tilltalande och/eller intressant undersöktes. Metoden var en enkätundersökning som genomfördes på en högskola i Mellansverige och som även skapades i webbform och delades på det sociala mediet Facebook. Huvudresultatet av studien visade att sociala medier (till exempel Facebook och Instagram) var den främsta källan till hälsoinformation bland unga vuxna och att sociala medier även var den mest föredragna källan i denna åldersgrupp. Anledningar till detta var bland annat att informationen ansågs vara lättillgänglig, att den når ut till många, att sociala medier används mycket för information och att källan är miljövänlig. Resultatet visade även att de flesta respondenter ansåg att informationen de funnit var användbar och att informationen var tilltalande och/eller intressant. Det kunde bero på att informationen kändes inspirerande och motiverande, användbar i ett framtida yrke, trovärdig, att funderingar besvarades, att svar var konkreta och direkta samt att layouten var bra. Majoriteten av respondenterna kände dock att något saknades i informationen de funnit. Det som ansågs saknas i en del av informationen var till exempel bakgrund, statistik, undersökningar, primärkällor och spårbara källor, tillförlitlighet och relevans samt praktiska råd. Slutsatserna av studien var bland annat att sociala medier kan vara ett användbart verktyg för att nå ut till unga vuxna med en tillförlitlig och vetenskapligt baserad hälsoinformation. Det är även viktigt att informationen är lättillgänglig och trovärdig och att unga vuxna kan finna den information de söker.

Submitted by Silvana Teresinha Dornelles Studzinski (sstudzinski) on 2015-07-01T15:10:40Z No. of bitstreams: 1 MariaLuft.pdf: 1182719 bytes, checksum: 16564fa1fbf0f03623884e34c964a135 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-07-01T15:10:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 MariaLuft.pdf: 1182719 bytes, checksum: 16564fa1fbf0f03623884e34c964a135 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-10-13 / Nenhuma / O presente Estudo de Caso procura examinar como se deu a cobertura dos desmatamentos na Amazônia, no jornal O Liberal, do Pará, no ano de 2008. Partimos da premissa de que as notícias sobre o meio ambiente são construídas a partir de um sistema complexo de relações entre jornalistas e fontes de informação, em que as fontes oficiais predominam no processo. Num segundo momento, buscamos identificar as falas que melhor caracterizam o confronto de opiniões, sobre os desmatamentos, e como isso repercute na produção noticiosa. A análise quantitativa revelou que houve uma predominância das fontes dos setores Políticos: representadas, na sua grande maioria, pelo governo federal – através do Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renováveis (IBAMA) e do Ministério do Meio Ambiente, que atingiram um percentual de 65,21%, em relação ao total de matérias publicadas (230); seguidas das fontes do meio Científico, Econômico e Social. As fontes do meio Social, representadas pelo cidadão comum, a sociedade civil organizada, aparecem em último lugar, com um percentual de 6,52%. A análise qualitativa para examinar as falas que melhor caracterizam o confronto de opiniões, concluiu que: madeireiros, políticos, pesquisadores e entidades sociais consideram a falta de regularização fundiária, como a principal causa dos desmatamentos ilegais na Amazônia; e que as ações de fiscalização do governo federal, juntamente com a implementação de políticas públicas, incluindo a criação de Unidades de Conservação (UCs), e o reflorestamento das áreas já degradadas, representam um avanço no combate aos desmatamentos na Amazônia. Constatamos, por outro lado, que fontes ligadas aos meios científicos e políticos, defendem a manutenção da “floresta em pé”, como a alternativa mais coerente, do ponto de vista social e ambiental, e mesmo econômico, para a preservação da Amazônia, enquanto maior patrimônio genético do planeta e, também, para assegurar a sobrevivência dos mais de 23 milhões de pessoas que vivem na região, principalmente, daquelas populações que dependem do extrativismo para o seu sustento. / This case study proposes to examine how the deforestation in Amazonia was spread out on O Liberal newspaper in Pará in 2008. It starts from the point that news on environment is built from a complex system of relations between journalists and sources of information and that, along the process, official sources prevail. The second step is to identify speeches that better feature the confrontation of opinions on deforestation, and how this reflects in news output. A quantitative analysis revealed that the sources were predominant in politician sectors - represented by Federal Agencies, IBAMA (Brazilian Institute of Environment and Natural Renewal Resources) and Ministry of Environment, state and municipal government, a total of 65,21%, regarding to all printed published texts (230); followed by scientific, economic and social sources. Social sources, represented by the common citizen, organized civil society, turn up in last place, with 6,52%. A qualitative analysis to observe speeches that better feature the confrontation of opinions achieved that: lumbers, politicians, researchers and social entities consider a lack of agrarian regularization in Amazonia as the main cause of illegal deforestation; and that the control of federal government proceedings, public policy implementation, including the creation of Conservation Units, and reforestation of areas already degraded, represent an advance in the combat to criminal environments. It was evidenced, on the other hand, that scientific and politician sources, defend that the “Stand up Forest” maintenance is the most correct alternative, a whole, of social and environmental point of view, and even economic, to assure the preservation of the forest as the biggest genetic patrimony on the planet, and more than 23 million people who live in the region, mainly, those populations that depend on the extractive for their survival.

O estudo teve por objetivo entender como a gestão de fontes externas de informação tecnológica influencia o desempenho inovador das empresas e foi realizado em duas fases metodológicas distintas. A primeira fase consistiu de uma pesquisa qualitativa e exploratória visando a caracterizar a gestão de fontes externas de informação tecnológica em países de economia em desenvolvimento e de economia desenvolvida. O estudo de casos múltiplos foi efetuado em empresas inovadoras brasileiras e italianas. A segunda fase do estudo envolveu a aplicação de uma pesquisa quantitativa do tipo survey visando à extrapolação dos resultados para um conjunto de empresas através da caracterização da gestão de fontes externas de informação tecnológica e sua influencia no desempenho inovador. Os dados quantitativos foram coletados em empresas brasileiras vinculadas à Associação Nacional de Pesquisa, Desenvolvimento e Engenharia das Empresas Inovadoras e ao Programa de Gestão Tecnológica da Fundação Instituto de Administração. O estudo permitiu concluir que os principais fatores que diferenciam o desempenho inovador das empresas estão relacionados à oportunidade de escolha de fontes externas de informação e à qualificação e estrutura disponível para o relacionamento com os parceiros tecnológicos. As empresas diferenciam-se, segundo o porte, pela existência de uma estrutura para a captação e o acesso às oportunidades e informações tecnológicas. Corroborando os pressupostos teóricos, foi possível concluir que a gestão de fontes externas de informação tecnológica influencia o desempenho inovador e que, de modo geral, as empresas investigadas ainda não possuem uma gestão de fontes externas de informação tecnológica estruturada e sistematizada que potencialize os esforços inovativos. Os resultados destacam a importância do estabelecimento de uma estrutura de network capaz de gerenciar as implicações decorrentes do elevado número de parceiros tecnológicos e dos condicionantes legais e culturais, visando à ampliação do desempenho inovador das empresas. / The objective of this study was to understand how the management of external sources of technological information purposes influences the innovative performance of companies; the research was divided into two different methodological phases. The first phase consisted of qualitative and exploratory research, the aim of which was to characterize the management of external sources of technological information purposes in both developing economy and developed economy countries. This multiple case study was carried out in innovative Brazilian and Italian companies. The second phase of the study involved the use of a survey, with the purpose of extrapolating the results to a set of companies by characterizing their management of external sources of technological information and the influence it has on innvative performance. The quantitative data were collected from Brazilian companies associated with the National Research, Development and Engineering Association of Innovative Companies and with the Technological Management Program of the Managament Institute Foundation. The study allowed us to conclude that the main factors that differentiate the innovative performance of companies relate to the opportunity they have of choosing external sources of information and to the qualification and structure available for forming realationships with technological partners. According to their size, companies differentiate themselves by the existence of a structure for capturing and accessing technological opportunities and technological information. Corroborating the theoretical suppositions we were able to conclude that the management of external sources of structured technological information influences innovative performance and that generally speaking, the companies we investigated still have no structured and systematic management of external sources of technological information that drives their innovation efforts. The results confirm the importance of establishing a network structure that is capable of managing the implications arising from the large number of technological partners and legal and cultural conditioners that exists, with the aim of improving the innovative performance of companies.

Clinical guidelines developed from randomized controlled trials (RCT) recommend standard treatments for physicians to treat their patients. However, RCT are usually conducted among younger or healthier populations. Patients who did not participate in clinical trials, such as the elderly or patients with comorbidities, might not be suitable for the standard treatments; instead non-standard treatments can be an alternative treatment option to provide clinical benefits. Physicians are key stakeholders in determining the use of non-standard treatments in clinical practice. While a number of studies have reported on the use of non-standard treatments, little is known about factors associated with a physician’s decision to use non-standard treatments and which information sources are associated with their use. The objectives of this study were to identify factors associated with a physician’s decision to use non-standard treatments and to investigate which information sources were associated with their use. This study applied Rogers’ theory of diffusion of innovation to posit that a physician’s decisions to use non-standard treatments are a function of 1) the perceived advantages of non-standard treatments (effectiveness and toxicity), 2) the sources of information (scientific sources, professional contacts, patient demands, and commercial sources), 3) physician characteristics (years of practice, specialty, innovativeness, and practice experience), and 4) practice settings (practice location, academic affiliation, types of facility, and practice size). This study implemented a convergent parallel mixed-method approach consisting of interviews and surveys to address the objectives. For this study, a convenience sample of 10 medical oncologists was interviewed in January and February 2017. Interviews were transcribed and coded using a coding system based on the theoretical model of this study. Case reports were created to summarize each interview. The content analysis and multi-case analysis were both conducted to describe variable-level factors and contrast and compare factors within and across groups. Surveys were distributed to 1,500 medical oncologists and hematologists who currently practice in eight states across the Midwest. Dillman’s tailored design method was used to guide survey development and administration. The survey examined oncologists’ use of non-standard treatments in elderly patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Factorial survey design was applied to construct six hypothetical patient vignettes representing a variety of patient age and comorbidity. The dependent variable was whether a physician recommended a non-standard treatment to each vignette. Independent variables were selected from the theoretical model. The descriptive and frequency statistics were conducted for each survey item. The reliability tests were used to evaluate internal consistency of multi-item measures. Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) were used to test the influence of factors on a physician’s decisions to use non-standard treatments. Among ten interview participants, three were open and five were intermediate open toward using non-standard treatments. Approximately 41.5% of survey participants recommended non-standard treatments for two or more vignettes. Both interviews and surveys showed that sources of information were key factors affecting oncologists’ use of non-standard treatments. In particular, interviewed oncologists used various information sources to justify their use of non-standard treatments such as early phase clinical trials or colleagues’ suggestions. Survey data showed that oncologists who placed higher importance on scientific sources were less likely to use non-standard treatments although scientific or medical journals were the top sources where they learned about rituximab with non-anthracyclines. In vignettes involving patients with rheumatoid arthritis with chronic neutropenia, those who placed a higher importance of professional sources were more likely to use non-standard treatments. Additionally, interview data showed that oncologists who have a sub-specialty, practice in academic settings, have high patient volume, have positive past experience with non-standard treatment and were aware of colleagues’ use non-standard treatments were relatively more open toward using non-standard treatments. Survey data showed that oncologists who agreed that rituximab with non-anthracyclines has a safer toxicity profile than rituximab with anthracyclines, those who commonly encounter younger patients, and those who had more years since graduating from medical school were more likely to use non-standard treatments. In addition to patient characteristics such as comorbidity, physicians’ characteristics and their sources of information are influential to the decision of using non-standard treatments.

In 2008 it was estimated that in Broward County approximately 1 in 130 was living with HIV/AIDS. Broken down by race, it was 1 in 216 Whites, 1 in 50 Blacks and 1 in 198 Hispanics. Broward County had the second highest case rate of all the counties in the state of Florida. HIV/AIDS prevention remains a critical challenge and high impact prevention strategies are needed consistently to reach the most people using limited time, effort and funds. There has been little evidence to demonstrate the relationship between sources of information, specifically media channels, and risk perception and risk behaviors. Through its ability to widely spread information and education, media (TV, radio, newspaper and internet) remains a formidable tool in addressing HIV/AIDS prevention with minorities. The literature review found few published reports that explored media and its relationship to risk perception, behavior and testing in minority communities. This epidemiological study analyzed data from the REACH 2010 Project (“Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health”), a project funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), that performed a variety of prevention interventions targeted at minority communities in Broward County, Florida. The study assessed the relationship between media as a source of information for HIV/AIDS with three behaviors; risk perception, risk behavior and HIV testing. It provides valuable information for future media interventions aimed at risk minority populations by community based organizations (CBOs), HIV/AIDS prevention service providers and state health departments.

O estudo teve por objetivo entender como a gestão de fontes externas de informação tecnológica influencia o desempenho inovador das empresas e foi realizado em duas fases metodológicas distintas. A primeira fase consistiu de uma pesquisa qualitativa e exploratória visando a caracterizar a gestão de fontes externas de informação tecnológica em países de economia em desenvolvimento e de economia desenvolvida. O estudo de casos múltiplos foi efetuado em empresas inovadoras brasileiras e italianas. A segunda fase do estudo envolveu a aplicação de uma pesquisa quantitativa do tipo survey visando à extrapolação dos resultados para um conjunto de empresas através da caracterização da gestão de fontes externas de informação tecnológica e sua influencia no desempenho inovador. Os dados quantitativos foram coletados em empresas brasileiras vinculadas à Associação Nacional de Pesquisa, Desenvolvimento e Engenharia das Empresas Inovadoras e ao Programa de Gestão Tecnológica da Fundação Instituto de Administração. O estudo permitiu concluir que os principais fatores que diferenciam o desempenho inovador das empresas estão relacionados à oportunidade de escolha de fontes externas de informação e à qualificação e estrutura disponível para o relacionamento com os parceiros tecnológicos. As empresas diferenciam-se, segundo o porte, pela existência de uma estrutura para a captação e o acesso às oportunidades e informações tecnológicas. Corroborando os pressupostos teóricos, foi possível concluir que a gestão de fontes externas de informação tecnológica influencia o desempenho inovador e que, de modo geral, as empresas investigadas ainda não possuem uma gestão de fontes externas de informação tecnológica estruturada e sistematizada que potencialize os esforços inovativos. Os resultados destacam a importância do estabelecimento de uma estrutura de network capaz de gerenciar as implicações decorrentes do elevado número de parceiros tecnológicos e dos condicionantes legais e culturais, visando à ampliação do desempenho inovador das empresas. / The objective of this study was to understand how the management of external sources of technological information purposes influences the innovative performance of companies; the research was divided into two different methodological phases. The first phase consisted of qualitative and exploratory research, the aim of which was to characterize the management of external sources of technological information purposes in both developing economy and developed economy countries. This multiple case study was carried out in innovative Brazilian and Italian companies. The second phase of the study involved the use of a survey, with the purpose of extrapolating the results to a set of companies by characterizing their management of external sources of technological information and the influence it has on innvative performance. The quantitative data were collected from Brazilian companies associated with the National Research, Development and Engineering Association of Innovative Companies and with the Technological Management Program of the Managament Institute Foundation. The study allowed us to conclude that the main factors that differentiate the innovative performance of companies relate to the opportunity they have of choosing external sources of information and to the qualification and structure available for forming realationships with technological partners. According to their size, companies differentiate themselves by the existence of a structure for capturing and accessing technological opportunities and technological information. Corroborating the theoretical suppositions we were able to conclude that the management of external sources of structured technological information influences innovative performance and that generally speaking, the companies we investigated still have no structured and systematic management of external sources of technological information that drives their innovation efforts. The results confirm the importance of establishing a network structure that is capable of managing the implications arising from the large number of technological partners and legal and cultural conditioners that exists, with the aim of improving the innovative performance of companies.