This paper examines the relationship between tour operators and their existing tourism destinations. The intent is to help the tour operators plan strategically for building the sustainability of their destinations. A Framework for Strategic Sustainability Development, based on scientific consensus, was used to structure this work. Interviews with tour operators and tourism experts gave practical insight complementing the literature review and case studies analysed during the research. The key findings were the need for tour operators to: consider a whole-systems perspective; cooperate with the tourism destination to build a common vision of success and a clear understanding of sustainability; and to prioritise their actions based on achieving the vision. From this the authors proposed guidance notes to assist tour operators in addressing these barriers. The paper concludes that tour operators can play a major role in building a sustainable society while perpetuating the tourism industry. In order to do so their actions must be chosen and managed correctly. This involves cooperation with the destinations throughout the strategic planning process and for all involved to be on the same page in terms of the end goal, a sustainable society.

One of the key challenges in information and communication technologies for socio-economic development (ICT4D) is that the contribution of ICT to development is difficult to describe and assess. This is particularly true when looking beyond the immediate context of an ICT4D project, to its impact on the larger social system within which the project is introduced. This problem can benefit from a systems approach. Systems thinking is concerned with the performance of the total system, when changes are made to a part of the system. Systems thinking recognises that the performance of a subsystem relative to its own goals does not necessarily lead to increased performance of the larger system. However, in the field of ICT4D, systems approaches are seldom used, and appropriate ways to describe and assess a social system are lacking. The study aims to contribute theoretically as well as empirically to the social systems body of knowledge in ICT4D. A particular social systems approach or framework is developed, based on structuration theory and autopoiesis. The framework is attractive because it provides a way to describe and assess the sustainability and state of development of the total system. The theoretical component of the thesis concerns the development of a social systems framework. This is done in a conceptual study that draws on systems literature and social theory. The empirical component concerns the application of the systems framework in an ICT4D case study. A descriptive, longitudinal case study is performed in a rural settlement in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. Data is collected by means of interviews and participant observation during several visits to the settlement. Data analysis is done making use of the concepts in the systems framework. The result of the data analysis is a description of the larger social systems where the ICT4D project is implemented, as systems served, and the ICT4D project, as serving system. By studying the mutual influences between the serving system and systems served, the contribution to socio-economic development of the serving system is assessed. The study’s research contribution is to indicate how a social systems framework can be used to assess an ICT4D project’s contribution to the socio-economic development of the social systems it serves. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Informatics / unrestricted

A review of the research related to Information Technology (IT) governance reveals that researchers have yet to use systems theory directly as a basis for understanding IT governance; however, analysis of these researchers’ various definitions of IT governance shows a concurrence between these definitions and the characteristics of a system. This case study research adopts a systems imagination to observe IS and IT governance in the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), which has a budget of over $5 billion and over 7,500 employees and has recently conducted a strategic assessment of its IT organization - including IS and IT governance. The case study posits that VDOT is an indivisible, purposeful, goal seeking (teleological) system where (1) there are three peer elements (governance, management, and operations); (2) there is a governance feedback mechanism (auditing and monitoring); (3) there are peer areas within the governance element that are specialized for a VDOT asset (e.g., capital asset governance, financial governance, human resource governance, etc.) and IS governance is the peer area that is specialized for IT assets; and (4) there are sub-peer areas within IS governance that are specialized for an IT, and this specialized form of IS governance is named IT governance.

Abstract This dissertation focuses on the information use in the bachelor’s theses at Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences (UASs, polytechnics). The study was carried out as a multiple case study based on qualitative data consisting of a sample of bachelor’s theses and research literature. The approach is oriented towards theory building. The study was motivated by earlier research findings about the complex and discursively controversial nature of the Finnish UASs. An approach based on structuralist semiotics and a typology of systems was employed to support the qualitative data-driven analyses. The following types were found: (i) structure-driven, (ii) those emphasizing students’ unique situations, and (iii) reflective combinations of the two. Several strategies related to each type were identified. A model including eight levels was formed proceeding from dichotomies in meaning and issues of agency, to the information use typical of the two main genres, research or practice based thesis, and finally, to the means of manifesting them in textual blocks. The model introduced in the dissertation can be applied in the guidance of thesis processes and in thesis-like project approaches. Writing a thesis appears as a unique episode. The insitutional processes appear as recurring loops in the life span of the UAS. The guiding of the thesis process is manifested as case-by-case interventions combining unique making and institutional routines. The problems encountered by the actors of the thesis processes form potential targets for interventions. The results indicate that the present views on the relevant actors related to the thesis process are too narrow, if they only comprise the student, the teacher and the representatives of project partners as recognized actors. The problematic issues in information seeking and use indicate that the personnel of the library should also be included in the actors of thesis processes. / Tiivistelmä Tutkimus tarkastelee tiedonkäyttöä ammattikorkeakoulun opinnäytetöissä ja esittää mallin tiedonkäytön ilmiöiden konteksteista. Tutkimus on toteutettu teoriaa luovana, aineistolähtöisenä laadullisena monitapaustutkimuksena. Kirjallisuutta luetaan tutkimuksessa yhtenä aineistoryhmänä. Tutkimuksessa käytetään aineistolähtöisen lähestymistavan tukena strukturalistisen semiotiikan klassisesta perinteestä täydennettyä generatiivisen kulun mallia. Opinnäytetyötoiminnan lähtökohtia jäsennetään myös kolmijakona objektivistisiin konemaisiin systeemeihin, yksilöllistä tilannetta painottavaan näkemykseen ja näitä yhdistäviin systeemirakenteisiin. Tutkimusta motivoivat osaltaan tulokset ammattikorkeakoulun kompleksisesta ja diskursiivisesti jännitteisestä luonteesta, joka heijastuu opinnäytetyötoimintaan. Tutkimus on yksittäisistä ammattikorkeakouluista ja niiden yhteenliittymistä riippumaton. Aiempi vastaava tutkimus ammattikorkeakoulun opinnäytetyötoiminnasta on ammattikorkeakoulun henkilökunnan tekemää. Aineistosta on tunnistettu tiedonkäytön ilmiöitä, jotka on jaoteltu tiukkarajaisia järjestelmiä tavoitteleviin, kunkin opinnäytetyötilanteen ainutkertaisuutta korostaviin sekä informaatiokäytäntöihin liittymisen dynamiikkaa hyödyntäviin. Tiedonkäytön ilmiöitä mallinnetaan 8-tasoisena rakenteena edeten merkityksen läsnä- tai poissaolon dikotomiasta toimijuuteen, tekstilajin tiedonkäytöllisiin ominaisuuksiin ja näiden tuottamiseen tekstijaksoissa. Mallia voidaan soveltaa opinnäytetöiden ohjauksessa ja hanketoiminnassa. Opinnäytetyön tekeminen ilmenee ainutkertaisena elämäntapahtumana. Teettäminen on ammattikorkeakoululle toistuva rutiini ja tilaajalle ainutkertaista tai rutiinia. Ohjaaminen on tapauskohtaisia interventioita, liittymisiä tekemis- ja teettämistoimintaan. Tiedonkäytön rakenteita ja ongelmia on syytä käsitellä mahdollisina interventiokohteina ammattikorkeakoulun opinnäytetyötoimintaan ja tietokäsityksiin. Tutkimuksessa tunnistetut ongelmat tiedonhankinnassa ja -käytössä osoittavat, että kirjaston henkilökuntakin tulee käsittää opinnäytetyön toimijaksi.

Final thesis discusses about the influence of overtime and motivation to manage projects. The thesis highlights the positive characteristics about connection between the system dynamics and the project management. Includes basic theoretical definition of motivation, management control and overall project management. Analyze the possibility of using different methods, especially motivation to influence or stimulate the work flow. Highlights the positive qualities of the use of dynamic modeling and simulation to solve IS/ICTprojects. It examin the real situation of overtime influence on solving the problem. This situation is portrayed in the relevant diagrams of system dynamics and it is modeled in the program Powersim. The text also contains a detailed procedure for the entire solution.

abstract: Over the past century, the world has become increasingly more complex. Modern systems (i.e blockchain, internet of things (IoT), and global supply chains) are inherently difficult to comprehend due to their high degree of connectivity. Understanding the nature of complex systems becomes an acutely more critical skill set for managing socio-technical infrastructure systems. As existing education programs and technical analysis approaches fail to teach and describe modern complexities, resulting consequences have direct impacts on real-world systems. Complex systems are characterized by exhibiting nonlinearity, interdependencies, feedback loops, and stochasticity. Since these four traits are counterintuitive, those responsible for managing complex systems may struggle in identifying these underlying relationships and decision-makers may fail to account for their implications or consequences when deliberating systematic policies or interventions. This dissertation details the findings of a three-part study on applying complex systems modeling techniques to exemplar socio-technical infrastructure systems. In the research articles discussed hereafter, various modeling techniques are contrasted in their capacity for simulating and analyzing complex, adaptive systems. This research demonstrates the empirical value of a complex system approach as twofold: (i) the technique explains systems interactions which are often neglected or ignored and (ii) its application has the capacity for teaching systems thinking principles. These outcomes serve decision-makers by providing them with further empirical analysis and granting them a more complete understanding on which to base their decisions. The first article examines modeling techniques, and their unique aptitudes are compared against the characteristics of complex systems to establish which methods are most qualified for complex systems analysis. Outlined in the second article is a proof of concept piece on using an interactive simulation of the Los Angeles water distribution system to teach complex systems thinking skills for the improved management of socio-technical infrastructure systems. Lastly, the third article demonstrates the empirical value of this complex systems approach for analyzing infrastructure systems through the construction of a systems dynamics model of the Arizona educational-workforce system, across years 1990 to 2040. The model explores a series of dynamic hypotheses and allows stakeholders to compare policy interventions for improving educational and economic outcome measures. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Systems Engineering 2020

In recent decades, water systems worldwide are under crisis due to excessive human interventions particularly in the arid and semi-arid regions. In many cities, the water quantity situation has become more and more serious, caused either by absolute water shortage or water pollution. Considering population growth and fast urbanization, ensuring adequate water supply with acceptable water quality is crucial to socio-economic development in the coming decades. In this context, one key point is to (re-)address various water problems in a more holistic way. This study explores the emerging water crisis events in Beijing Municipality so as to have a better understanding of water systems changes and to make more sustainable water-related decisions. The changes of water quantity and water quality in the region are analyzed in a systems perspective; and opportunities towards improved performance of Beijing’s water systems are discussed. In order to aid in water systems analysis, a conceptual framework is developed, with a focus on identifying the most important interactions of the urban water sector. The results of the study show that the emerging water crisis events in the Beijing region are caused by a variety of inter-related factors, both external and internal. The external factor is mainly the decreasing upstream surface water inflow into the Guanting and Miyun reservoirs. The internal factors include precipitation variation, excessive water withdrawals, increasing water demands for different purposes and a large amount of pollutants discharged to the receiving water bodies. These factors together have caused tremendous water systems changes in Beijing Municipality from both the water quantity and water quality perspectives. In order to alleviate the serious water situation in Beijing Municipality, many further efforts are required in the dynamic socioeconomic and ecological context. Although tremendous work has been carried out by water-related institutions to prevent flood and ensure water supply, water resources development, planning and management must be addressed employing systems thinking and in a more holistic way. This is crucial for balancing the tradeoffs of water quantity and water quality in the Beijing region. Besides the experimental inter-basin water transfer activities, water demand management and pollution reduction and prevention should be the top priority on the agenda of the Beijing government in the long term. Moreover, only at a river basin level may various upstream-downstream conflicts be alleviated by wiser water allocation among administrative regions, as well as taking the ecological water demand into consideration. Finally, considering the current water situation and water management system, the following three aspects of improvement are emphasized in the present study, including a promoted water centric value, institutional capacity building and employing economic principles for water resources management.

This study assesses the applicability of the Making Markets Work for the Poor approach, as described by Sida, to meet sustainability challenges in the textiles- and clothing industry in Ethiopia. While Sweden has been ranked one of the most sustainable countries in the world, exported emissions and impacts have stained this reputation. As Swedish corporations look to Ethiopia as a new potential sourcing market for textile and clothing products, this interview study uses systems- and scenario analysis to assess the applicability of the market system approach Making Markets Work for the Poor, M4P, to answer to the sustainability challenges in the market system of the textile industry in Ethiopia. The results reveal that while sustainability challenges are numerous in regards to economy, environment and society, governance is the central leverage point when addressing systemic change for sustainability. The study concludes that while M4P can address specific sustainability challenges within the system, such as market access for poor and workers’ health issues, the approach does not answer to the fundamental systemic problems. Instead, it builds on a focus on GDP growth, which this study shows to be part of the problem of neglecting environmental and social aspects.

Prison management and key stakeholders lack an understanding of how institutional obstacles interfere with probation officers and parole agents' ability in managing offenders to reduce recidivism in a Midwestern state. In 2014, 1 out of 52 adults in the U.S. were under the supervision of probation officers or parole agents. The purpose of this descriptive phenomenological study was to identify the institutional obstacles that exist for probation officers and parole agents in terms of their lived experiences in their jobs. The participants were 5 probation officers and 6 parole agents from a municipal district in a county in a Midwestern state. The conceptual framework that grounds this descriptive phenomenological study is Meadows' three concepts of systems thinking (elements, interconnections, and purpose). The data collection process involved in-depth interviews and field notes. One hundred percent of the participants identified several themes as institutional obstacles including: lack of community programs, lack of jobs, and heavy caseloads. The implications for positive social change for the key stakeholders identified in the study to reduce recidivism in the criminal justice system were to remove the institutional barriers outlined in the themes and improve institutional practices. Making policy reforms that included drug and alcohol treatment, addressing the issue of prison authority and the creation of rehabilitation programs that feature cognitive development would aid in reduction of recidivism.

Teacher implementation of school reforms varies widely and often results in inconsistent student outcomes. Teachers adopt or resist change for complex reasons that are not fully understood. This qualitative study explored how veteran teachers described their experiences with school reform and changes in classroom practices that occurred over the course of their careers; it also examined factors that teachers identified as having positive and negative influences on their adoptions of change. The conceptual framework was based on Senge's systems theory as applied to learning organizations and Goleman's emotional intelligence theory. The research questions focused on: (a) How veteran teachers described their experiences with various school reforms and changes in classroom practices that have occurred over the course of their careers, and (b) What internal and external factors veteran teachers identified as having a positive or negative influence on their adoptions of change. Eight veteran K-12 public school teachers from a northeastern state were interviewed using a semi-structured, open-ended questionnaire. Data were analyzed using first and second level coding in order to identify emerging patterns and themes and discrepant data. Key findings indicated that the teachers who reported successful implementation of school reforms also reported that the internal factors of self-assessment, self-confidence, initiative, adaptability, and empathy, and the external factors of shared vision, team learning, and systems thinking were important to implementing change. When administrators supported teachers through quality professional development, adequate collaboration time, and respect for their professional judgment, participants embraced school reforms and changed their classroom practices.