Cross-border information technology (IT) outsourcing continues to rise due to the demand for business process outsourcing. Issues such as miscommunication and management problems have emerged because of cross-cultural disparities between clients and vendors across national borders. The theoretical framework of this study was based on the organizational culture model studies of Meek, Spradley, Smith, and Draft for examining and understanding complex organizational practices. The purpose of this mixed-methods explanatory sequential case study was to qualitatively identify and quantitatively determine the management approaches that are effective in managing cross-cultural differences and the constitution of the elements of global adjustment, motivation, mindset, and communication patterns involving outsourcing business leaders in the United States. Ten IT leaders participated in-depth face-to-face interviews, while 120 IT outsourced service providers from the United Kingdom, Canada, Singapore, and India completed the survey. Pearson's correlation analysis was performed on quantitative survey data. Qualitative data from interviews were organized, coded, and the results generated 6 themes. The themes included no management issues in the current processes, a lack of formal management approaches to resolve cross-cultural issues, an intent to provide a strong management partnership platform, and a positive relationship between approaches. Quantitative results showed that formal management approaches positively correlated with global adjustment, motivation, mindset, and communication pattern. Results could be socially significant to IT business leaders, as these results will equip them with knowledge of effective practices and management approaches to address cultural diversity issues, programs, and policies in the industry.

<p>This study will refer specifically to the reasons why SMEs are not willing to use e-payment as their first-choice method: the reasons hampering e-payment adoption.</p>

El objetivo de esta Tesis Doctoral es estudiar el efecto de las tecnologías de la información (TI) en las organizaciones mediante la adopción de un enfoque integrador y multidimensional: Gestión del conocimiento, productividad y excelencia en la gestión. En particular, se trata de analizar la influencia que tiene el esfuerzo realizado por las organizaciones en tecnologías de la información, consideradas tanto de forma individual como bajo la influencia de variables moderadoras organizativas, en las distintas etapas cualitativas y cuantitativas del proceso de generación de valor / The purpose of this Doctoral thesis is to study the effect of the technologies of the information (IT) in the organizations by means of the adoption of an integration and multidimensional approach: Management of the knowledge, productivity and excellence in the management. In particular, this work studies the influence that the effort realized by the organizations in technologies of the information, considered of a individual form and also under the influence of moderating organizational variables, has in the different qualitative and quantitative stages of the process of generation of value.

Vårt examensarbete har genomförts på företaget Electrolux Laundry Systems (ELS) logistikavdelning, Logistics Center Ljungby (LCL).  Under det senaste året har företaget haft motgångar vid ett IT/IS-projekt inom sin logistikavdelning (LCL). Uppsatsen har således syftat till att beskriva och analysera varför IT/IS-projektet har avstannat, och ej nått implementering. För att uppnå syftet har vi utgått från en, i stort sett, kvalitativ ansats där primärdata har insamlats genom metoder såsom intervjuer och deltagande observationer medan sekundärdata inhämtats i form av dokumentundersökningar och offentliga dokument.   Resultatet av studien har utgjorts av deltagande observationer på fallföretagets logistikavdelning, LCL, samt intervjuer med olika verksamhetsnivåer. Detta har påvisat bristande kommunikation och direktiv samt fallföretagets brister i förstudiens utförande vad gäller förankring av projektet, planering av tid, resurser och kostnader samt formulering av krav. Slutsatser vi kunnat dra av detta är att en fungerande kommunikation mellan olika verksamhetsnivåer samt en noggrant utförd förstudie är essentiella element för att ge ett projekt rätt förutsättningar. / Our thesis has been performed in the company of Electrolux Laundry Systems (ELS) logistics department, Logistics Center Ljungby (LCL). Over the past year, the company has met setbacks during an IT/IS-project in the logistics department (LCL). The essay is thus aimed to describe and analyze why the IT/IS-project have stagnated. To achieve the purpose of the study we have applied a mainly qualitative approach in which the primary data is collected through methods such as interviews and participant observations while the secondary data is obtained by means of litterature and public documents.   The study’s result consisted of participant observation at LCL, and interviews with co-workers at various levels in the organization. These have shown a lack of communication between employees at different levels in the company. Moreover, the result proved the company's shortcomings in designing the pilot study, e.g. deeply root the project, planning time, resources, costs and specify requirements. Our conclusions from this study are that effective communication between different levels of employees, and an accurately performed pilot study, are essential elements to give a project the right conditions.

<p>This study will refer specifically to the reasons why SMEs are not willing to use e-payment as their first-choice method: the reasons hampering e-payment adoption.</p>

Magistro darbe analizuojamas informacinių technologijų taikymas Lietuvos logopedų darbe. Apie IKT ir KMP taikymą Lietuvos logopedų darbe nėra daug žinoma, nėra parengta išsamių mokslinių straipsnių ar apžvalgų, kurie nurodytų, kokiomis informacinių technologijų programomis ar priemonėmis naudojamasi logopedų darbe, kokios iš jų vyrauja ir kurios yra efektyviausios dirbant su kalbos, kalbėjimo ir komunikacijos sutrikimų turinčiais asmenimis. Praktinis tyrimo naudingumas – atskleisti informacinių technologijų taikymo realybę logopedų darbe su kalbėjimo ir kalbos sutrikimų turinčiais asmenimis. Palyginti pasiekimus šioje srityje Lietuvoje ir užsienio šalyse. Prieduose pateikiamas internetinių svetainių sąrašas, kur galima rasti logopedinėse pratybose pritaikomų lavinimo užduočių. / Master’s thesis analyzes the informational technologies application in Lithuanian speech and language therapists’ work. The aim of this research - to assess the informational and communication technology (ICTs) and computer-based speech training system (CBST) use at the speech and language therapists work in comprehensive schools who work with persons who have language, speech and communication disorders. The empirical part of the paper deals with the use of ICTs/ CBST at speech and language therapists work, their possibility of usage, the coherence between speech therapists qualification and their age, the usage of the programs for development educable self-dependent tools, speech and language therapists interest in various sources of work-related topics and others. In the questionnaire survey (in electronic form) have participated 258 speech and language therapists who work in comprehensive schools.

Through a case study about the impact of IT adoption in a residential aged care organisation, this thesis examines the increasing pressure for service integration as mainstreamed through reform policies. Specifically, the research investigates the role of IT in facilitating the 1997 aged care reform agenda of 'ageing in place' focusing on the levels of transformation from the policy context to the organisational/management context, and to the context of service provision by care staff. A single embedded case study (Yin, 1993) is used in order to meet the general objective to capture the dynamics of the impact of ageing in place in the three social contexts. The research is informed by social constructionism, a theoretical framework that emphasises the significance and effects of language in shaping social realities (Ainsworth, 2001; Hosking, 1999). The framework, therefore, justifies the qualitative analysis of both written (i.e., policy documents) and spoken (i.e., interviews with staff) texts to address meaning in relation to context. Changing technologies can result in altered societal structures (Betz, 2003) at all levels, from the very complex to the very basic. As such, it is important to understand a few basic premises of technology. First, technology is a human invention to improve the well-being of society (Ayres, 1996). Consequently, technological inventions that improve the quality of life are seen by people as a necessity for modern living. In the case of ageing, modernisation and technological advances effectively resulted in people becoming healthier and living longer (Department of Health and Aged Care [DHAC], 2000). Second, technology is a human means to control nature (Betz, 2003). As such, technological advances can be seen as a modernising process of predicting and regulating the effects of the trends existing in the environment, such as ageing. Ageing in the twenty first century presents a challenge to government's development policies because ageing is depicted as a steady force with a long-term economic impact (Johnson, 1999). Third, a technology becomes powerful when it is sponsored by the market (Betz, 2003; Hughes, 1983). Unless a technology is backed by business, it lacks the influence on a large scale. Fourth, technology is used to enable change. By using IT, governments, business and the community are co-operating through a paradigm similar to the business sector. As a result, the service environment is shifting towards more business-like approaches. To sustain the changes brought by a different paradigm and modes of operation, the rhetoric of technology is employed. Therefore, the purpose of the study is to investigate the use of IT in processes of organisational adaptations to reform, which requires the examination of: a) specific meaning of IT as used in long-term care policies for older people since the last structural reform, b) the rationale behind the introduction of a new IT system into a residential care organisation, and c) the meaning of IT as articulated by care staff who have experienced a change in technology. The first paper represents a rhetorical analysis at the macro or policy level. There is a significant influence of a global political actor in developing proactive strategies on ageing, which results in a new, multi-organisational approach in delivering government-subsidised services, such as residential care. Three key institutional texts were selected to represent international to local policy development since the time ageing became a global concern. Since then, ageing is also viewed as a human rights issue. Using Burke's pentad, an analytic framework to analyse rhetoric in texts (Stillar, 1998), these institutional texts are seen to employ the rhetoric of 'technology for sustainability' to justify changes to policy approaches that seek long-term viability. Technology, in the name of sustainable development ensures support for economic growth, which balances the long-term effects of population ageing. The existence of a global force, such as population ageing, allows the intervening powers of the UN in mainstreaming ageing into development policies. Accordingly, it initiates corresponding actions at national (Australian Commonwealth Government) and state (Queensland Government) levels. IT is a medium of communication, knowledge transfer, and standard practice at these levels of actions. The second paper represents a qualitative analysis at the meso or organisational level. This paper explores the cogent rationale in the introduction of a computer-based, care documentation system in a large residential aged care organisation. Twenty two staff, from every level of the organisation, were interviewed to get an insight into the role of IT in substantive changes to organisational structure and modes of service provision. Responses from staff indicate external and internal influence that pressured the organisation to change. In the bid to sustain the future of aged care, the industry is changing through the introduction of new structure of service delivery. The Aged Care Structural Reform instigated a shift towards sustainable service provision that is consumer-driven, with a fixed cost compliance mechanism and performance criteria that are tied to funding. Facing the requirement for evidence to corroborate funding, a residential care organisation changed its structure of service delivery by introducing a new strategic direction. IT is part of this new strategic direction, planning, and operations of a changed service environment. The third paper represents a qualitative analysis at the micro or individual level to examine the impact of IT at frontline service delivery. This study is also based on interviews with twenty-two staff, across the organisational structure; however, this time the focus is more on staff who are involved in providing direct care to older residents at the organisation. The reason behind this is that IT has always been a management tool which handles management priorities such as financial planning and performance monitoring. The themes arising from the interviews indicate discord at the level of service delivery from the introduction of a new technical system. It also points to the idea that staff generally refer to ethical ideas and future promise of the new system. In summary, these three papers attached to this thesis support the notion that the meaning of technology is socially constructed. First, technology in the aged care sector has particular reference to improving or enhancing the well-being of older people, and in this case, the provision of high quality services that fulfil the needs of older people. Second, IT has an important role in meeting the evidence-based requirement, such as in the use of information in manipulating the use of resources required for the ageing population. Third, the meaning of IT is conceived from the context requiring its use such as the need to use resource efficiently to ensure long-term sustainability, which were emphasised in the last reform. Fourth, IT is used to enable structural changes in organisations to implement generic practices originated from the business sector, requiring the use of strong rhetoric such as balance and future. The limit of this case study is that these dimensions of technology can only be applied to the specific context of aged care and is not generalisable to other political contexts. However, the strength of the study rests on the macro-, meso- and micro-analysis of the meaning of technology. Therefore, future studies should investigate and compare the dimensions of technology in other contexts.

p. 1 - 159 / Submitted by Santiago Fabio (fabio.ssantiago@hotmail.com) on 2013-01-16T19:55:30Z No. of bitstreams: 1 gggggg.pdf: 1451452 bytes, checksum: 8dc3b0023ed9f1932169d07d03967420 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2013-01-16T19:55:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 gggggg.pdf: 1451452 bytes, checksum: 8dc3b0023ed9f1932169d07d03967420 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009 / A pesquisa tem como objetivo analisar os efeitos da terceirização para a Gestão do Conhecimento em uma estrutura administrativa de desenvolvimento de sistemas em tecnologia da informação, no setor público. Esta perspectiva abrange o entendimento sobre os mecanismos da gestão do conhecimento e o papel dos profissionais de tecnologia da informação na Organização, na Área e no ciclo de desenvolvimento de sistemas; busca analisar os ativos intangíveis representados pelo capital estrutural, de relacionamento e intelectual e o modelos de terceirização utilizados na Secretaria da Fazenda, Órgão integrante da Administração Pública Direta do Estado da Bahia, para a contratação de desenvolvimento e manutenção de sistemas em tecnologia da informação. O trabalho está fundamentado por um quadro teórico, baseado nos conceitos sobre gestão do conhecimento e seus ativos intangíveis, sobre a terceirização, os modelos e restrições legais no âmbito público e o contexto organizacional da tecnologia da informação, tendo como foco o desenvolvimento de sistemas. Foi realizada uma pesquisa de campo aplicada, na qual se abordou o problema como um estudo de caso exploratório e de cunho quali-quantitativo, privilegiando um entendimento analítico e suportado por observação, pesquisa documental e entrevistas efetuadas com o superintendente, diretor, gerentes, líderes de sistemas e gestores de sistemas da Secretaria da Fazenda do Estado da Bahia (SEFAZ-BA). O instrumento de pesquisa utilizado baseia-se em Rossatto (2003), que propõe três constructos: capital estrutural, capital de relacionamento e capital intelectual. Foram aplicados questionários seguindo o enquadre desses constructos e as respostas foram categorizadas e analisadas. Os resultados encontrados indicam a necessidade de uma efetiva gestão dos ativos intangíveis, apresentam os efeitos gerados pela terceirização nas fases do ciclo de desenvolvimento de sistemas e como o modelo de terceirização atual tem contribuído para o escape do conhecimento da Instituição e entrega de serviços em desacordo com o prazo e qualidade. Traz também contribuições de melhoria tendo em perspectiva o ambiente de desenvolvimento de sistemas e o processo “fim a fim” de gestão das demandas em tecnologia da informação. / Salvador

Submitted by LUCI LONGO (luci.longo@gvmail.br) on 2014-01-27T18:56:56Z No. of bitstreams: 1 TESE-2014-Luci Longo.pdf: 4266328 bytes, checksum: b7560e7b65474586eb06e6b91f5bec08 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Suzinei Teles Garcia Garcia (suzinei.garcia@fgv.br) on 2014-01-27T19:18:51Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 TESE-2014-Luci Longo.pdf: 4266328 bytes, checksum: b7560e7b65474586eb06e6b91f5bec08 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2014-01-27T19:22:35Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 TESE-2014-Luci Longo.pdf: 4266328 bytes, checksum: b7560e7b65474586eb06e6b91f5bec08 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-01-16 / The results obtained enable us to state that the industries that most invested in Information Technology (IT) in the period of 2001-2011 had higher growth in their operating revenue and more effective operating results, compared with industries that invested less in the same period. According to the proposed model for the companies studied, an increase of 7% was found within two years in operating profit for every 1% in IT investments. Noteworthy is the purpose of the research to identify and analyze the impacts of expenditures and investments in information technology on the financial performance of Brazilian industries, and for that, I used a research model that used accounting-financial metrics and indicators of IT use as well as the combination of statistical analysis techniques. Moreover, the investigation deepens and broadens the discussion on the evaluation of IT investments and how to measure its impact on the organizational performance. The study population was composed of Brazilian companies, which were publicly traded, from the industrial sector, with active stocks at BOVESPA, totaling 119 companies. Through a survey, additional data were obtained related to expenditures and investments in IT, the semi-structured questionnaires were sent directly to the Chief Information Officer (CIO). These efforts in collecting primary data, gave the possibility of obtaining a fairly significant sample, with 63 industries, namely 53% of the population. After collection, the data analysis was developed through three steps: (1) Factor Analysis (FA) for selection of performance factors, which at the end of the process resulted in twelve variables for the research model, (2) Cluster Analysis (CA) that showed three distinct groupings of companies for their features and performance, and (3) Multiple Regression Model which adopted the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM), a dynamic econometric model, satisfying the requirements of the Arellano-Bond (1991) model. It is noted that the proposed model could address in a methodologically proper way the spurious correlations and allowing the identification of ‘the lag effect', in other words, IT investments in two previous periods, (IGTIt-2) impacted in current Operating Income (ROPt). Furthermore, it was found that other variables of profitability and liquidity impacted in this result, also adopting lag variables. The main variable of IT research, IGTI is calculated through the sum of expenditures and annual IT investments (OPEX/CAPEX), divided by the annual net Operating Revenue. For future research, there is the possibility of seeking evaluation measures by types (categories) of IT investment, aiming at deepening the analysis of performance impacts by sector (in each investment) and the cluster analysis, making use of the analysis model of this research. / Os resultados obtidos possibilitam afirmar que as indústrias que mais investiram em Tecnologia de Informação (TI), no período de 2001 a 2011, obtiveram maior crescimento da sua receita operacional e resultados operacionais mais eficazes, comparadas com as indústrias que investiram menos no período. De acordo com o modelo proposto, para as empresas estudadas foi possível encontrar, no prazo de dois anos, um crescimento de 7% no resultado operacional para cada 1% a mais de investimentos em TI. Destaca-se o objetivo da pesquisa de identificar e analisar os impactos dos gastos e investimentos em tecnologia de informação no desempenho financeiro das indústrias brasileiras, para alcançá-lo, adotou-se um modelo de pesquisa que utilizou métricas contábeis-financeiras e indicadores de uso TI, bem como a combinação de técnicas estatísticas para as análises. O trabalho aprofunda e amplia as discussões existentes sobre a avaliação dos investimentos em TI e como aferir o impacto desta sobre o desempenho organizacional. O universo do estudo foi composto pelas companhias brasileiras, de capital aberto, do ramo industrial, com ações ativas na BOVESPA, totalizando 119 companhias. Por meio de uma survey obteve-se os dados complementares referentes aos gastos e investimentos em TI; os questionários semiestruturados foram encaminhados diretamente ao Gerente de TI (Chief Information Officer). Estes esforços na coleta de dados primários possibilitaram a obtenção de uma amostra bastante significativa, com 63 indústrias, ou seja, 53% da população estudada. Após coleta, a análise dos dados foi desenvolvida em três etapas: (1) Análise Fatorial (AF) para seleção de fatores de desempenho que resultou no final do processo em doze variáveis para o modelo da pesquisa; (2) Análise de Cluster (AC) que evidenciou três agrupamentos distintos de indústrias por suas características e desempenho e (3) Regressão Múltipla que adotou um modelo econométrico dinâmico, estimado pelo Método dos Momentos Generalizado (GMM), satisfazendo as condições do modelo de Arellano-Bond (1991). Salienta-se que o modelo proposto permitiu tratar de forma adequada metodologicamente as correlações espúrias, possibilitando identificar que os gastos e investimentos em TI, (IGTI t-2), de dois períodos anteriores impactaram no Resultado Operacional Atual, (ROPt), evidenciando o efeito tardio, ou lag effect. Além disso, foi constatado que outras variáveis de rentabilidade e liquidez impactam neste resultado, também adotando defasagem das variáveis. A principal variável de TI da pesquisa, o IGTI, é calculada pela soma de gastos e investimentos em TI anuais (OPEX/CAPEX), dividida pela Receita Operacional Líquida anual. Para pesquisas futuras, há a possibilidade de buscar medidas de avaliação por tipos (categorias) de investimento em TI, visando ao aprofundamento da análise destes impactos no desempenho setorizado (ligado a cada investimento) e da análise de clusters, adotando o modelo de análise da pesquisa.

Submitted by Paulo Junior (paulo.jr@fgv.br) on 2011-01-10T17:40:46Z No. of bitstreams: 2 AdonaiTeles-Tese-Final.pdf: 7724890 bytes, checksum: 0453b008c5c4532fe43c660147ea4d99 (MD5) AdonaiTeles-Tese-Final.pdf: 7724890 bytes, checksum: 0453b008c5c4532fe43c660147ea4d99 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Paulo Junior(paulo.jr@fgv.br) on 2011-01-10T17:41:14Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 AdonaiTeles-Tese-Final.pdf: 7724890 bytes, checksum: 0453b008c5c4532fe43c660147ea4d99 (MD5) AdonaiTeles-Tese-Final.pdf: 7724890 bytes, checksum: 0453b008c5c4532fe43c660147ea4d99 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2011-01-27T10:55:54Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 AdonaiTeles-Tese-Final.pdf: 7724890 bytes, checksum: 0453b008c5c4532fe43c660147ea4d99 (MD5) AdonaiTeles-Tese-Final.pdf: 7724890 bytes, checksum: 0453b008c5c4532fe43c660147ea4d99 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-04-27 / The city of Piraí, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, hosts the program Piraí Digital, a set of initiatives, in five areas - government, education, health, business and citizenship – aimed to bridge the digital divide in the city and contribute to its development. The program was studied through the association between a heuristic model for analysis of digital inclusion and Actor-Network Theory (ANT). This work presents a description of the evolution of the program according to the actors who have built it. Between 1997 and 2009, Piraí Digital contributed to a number of positive changes in Piraí, especially in the areas of education, which adopted the 1:1 computing in its public system in 2009; health care, which uses the city‘s network structure and Internet access to disseminate its systems; and government, where public administration has increased productivity and taxes revenues through the computerization of the administrative machinery. The study of Piraí Digital allows us to understand the importance of the association of artifacts - a computer network, telecenters, Master Plans and others - and people in their efforts to overcome the digital divide and contribute to local development. Exploring the contrast between the strong reputation of Piraí Digital outside the municipality and the little knowledge about the program by the local population, the author makes an analogy with the work of sanitation, almost unknown and invisible to many people, but essential for the population. In Piraí, digital sanitation is ready, with bits gushing from the taps in schools and the health care system profiting from IT to spread its information flow for the benefit of the citizens. / A cidade de Piraí, no estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, é palco do programa Piraí Digital, um leque de iniciativas, em cinco áreas de atuação – governo, educação, saúde, negócios e cidadania –, com o objetivo de vencer a exclusão digital no município e contribuir para seu desenvolvimento. O programa foi estudado por meio da associação entre um modelo heurístico para análise da inclusão digital e a Teoria Ator-Rede (ANT). O trabalho apresenta a descrição da evolução do programa segundo os atores que o construíram. Entre 1997 e 2009, Piraí Digital contribuiu para uma série de mudanças positivas em Piraí, notadamente nas áreas de educação, a qual adotou a computação 1:1 em toda a rede municipal no ano de 2009; saúde, que utiliza a estrutura de rede de computadores e internet da cidade para disseminar seus sistemas; e governo, onde a administração pública teve ganhos de produtividade e arrecadação por meio da informatização da máquina administrativa. O estudo de Piraí Digital permite compreender a importância da associação de artefatos – rede de computadores, telecentros, Planos Diretores e outros – e das pessoas nos esforços para vencer a exclusão digital e contribuir para o desenvolvimento local. Explorando o contraste entre a grande notoriedade de Piraí Digital fora do município e o baixo conhecimento do programa pela população local, o autor faz a analogia com uma obra de saneamento, pouco conhecida e visível, mas essencial para a população. Em Piraí, o saneamento digital está pronto, com bits jorrando das torneiras nas escolas e a saúde se beneficiando da TI para escoar seu fluxo de informações para benefício dos cidadãos piraienses.