Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Sydney, 2008. / Includes graphs. Title from title screen (viewed November 28, 2008) Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the School of Mathematics and Statistics, Faculty of Science. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print form.

The rapid development of information and telecommunication technologies (ICTs) in the 21st century has changed society at all levels: individual, group, company and government. As a result, there has been a significant rise in the availability of ICTs and related technologies around the globe, including in developing countries. ICTs include internet infrastructure such as the use of mobile devices, the internet connection and the affiliated platforms of online social networks (OSNs). The provision of online products and services by the government is known as electronic e-government. From a theoretical literature review it was found that research emphasising the use of OSNs in e-government and OSNs in Oman was scarce. Further, studies investigating and explaining the use of OSNs in the public sector and government were few. This motivated the researcher to explore and understand this issue, leading to the formation of the aim of this research: To explore and understand the use of e-government/OSNs in a public sector organisation in a developing country, in this case, government organisations in Oman. To achieve this, a comprehensive and detailed literature review of e-government/OSN research in developed, developing and Gulf countries was completed. Additionally, related theories on ICT diffusion and adoption, institutional theory and culture theory were used as a lens through which a better understanding of e-government/OSNs would be provided and to develop the initial conceptual framework that was then applied in practice. To acquire the data for this research a qualitative research approach involving the use of a case study was employed. The data collection techniques used included observations, interviews and a review of related archival documents. A total of 44 people were interviewed and an additional 37 participants assisted with the observational part of this study. The research results revealed that government organisations adopted OSNs to explore the use of the technology and to cope with the increasing public demands of government. The study revealed many benefits for government organisations after OSNs were adopted, including greater public interaction and participation, increased information transparency, better understanding and increased public awareness of government services, leading to better work efficiency and effectiveness. Further, public interaction and participation was noted to be important for the government as it helped government employees be more responsible and accountable for their work actions. Additionally, due to the application of OSNs, organisational and national cultural changes were identified that led to government work process and procedures being amended such that there was more public participation and interaction. This led to an influence of government policies and decision-making with regards to public services. After the applied part of this study, the initial conceptual framework was revised to reflect the practical aspects of this research. The contributions of this study are: for e-government research, it will add to the increasing body of knowledge in this area. For Omani theoretical literature, it will widen the boundaries of knowledge and OSN use, particularly for the Omani government and other governments in developing countries that seek to use e-government solutions. In countries where cultural aspects are important, this study can provide insights that may not have been considered before. Further, this study has shown that understanding organisational changes and the cultural contexts with respect to e-government and OSN use is important; therefore, more knowledge in this area can be provided by this study. For policymakers, the contribution of this research is the provision of an understanding of a wide range of issues surrounding the adoption of new technologies. In turn, this can assist policymakers with policy-formation such that their institutional purposes and roles can be fulfilled. This study contributes to private sector organisations including internet and OSN providers by explaining and illustrating the benefits of using OSNs in a developing country with an autocratic regime that seeks to provide citizen benefits.

This thesis analyzes factors motivating and inhibiting the adoption of information systems in enterprises in Gaziantep by a scale generated on Rogers&rsquo / theory of diffusion of innovation. These factors are grouped into four as administrative, technological, environmental, and organizational characteristics in the scale built. Structured interview method was used while collecting the data. It was interviewed with 20 firms, operating in various sectors in Gaziantep. Results of the study showed that, within the fifteen factors studied, five of them had significant effects on the rate of information systems utilization. These factors were the relative advantage of information systems, the quality of information systems infrastructure, CEO&rsquo / s attitude towards information systems, employees&rsquo / knowledge about information systems, and the service quality of the vendor.

How do evaluative practices become natural and ubiquitous in an organization? In this paper we integrate findings from previous empirical work on the adoption of evaluative practices in organizations with insights from institutional theory and social psychology research for advancing the understanding of possible states of evaluative practices within organizations and the processes through which organizations become permeated by evaluative practices. Our conceptual model suggests that once evaluative practices have gained a foothold in an organization, they tend to be applied to an increasing number of organiza-tional problems and become taken for granted.

Air traffic control and how it is organized is about to change. In Sweden, the Air Traffic Navigation Services (Luftfartsverket) together with SAAB have developed an alternative to traditional air traffic control; Remote Tower Services (RTS). RTS means that a digital tower with multiple cameras is placed at the airport instead of a traditional air traffic control tower. The air traffic controllers control the traffic via a Remote Tower Center (RTC), often situated several miles from the airport. 2015, as the first country in the world, the Air Traffic Navigation Services together with SAAB launched RTS in Sweden at Örnsköldsviks airport which operates from a RTC in Sundsvall. In the forthcoming years RTS is about to be implemented at four Swedish airports. Using Everett Rogers theory of diffusion and theories of public-private partnership this paper examines RTS as an innovation. The study is based on qualitative interviews with representatives from the Air Traffic Navigation Services, Swedavia and Swedish Pilot Association.The study shows that RTS as an innovation can be seen as a consequence of the deregulation of the air traffic control market in 2010 whereas digitalization is another contributing factor. The study also shows that the implementation of RTS can be seen as unilateral. There have been deliberative elements with municipalities and other actors but some of these elements have been symbolic.

Submitted by Mariana Dornelles Vargas (marianadv) on 2015-05-07T17:43:24Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Diógenes Bonfanti dos Santos.pdf: 1146572 bytes, checksum: e43f11e0a84818317b80281577aaa1a0 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-07T17:43:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Diógenes Bonfanti dos Santos.pdf: 1146572 bytes, checksum: e43f11e0a84818317b80281577aaa1a0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-08-31 / Nenhuma / Este estudo foi realizado com objetivo de analisar o caso de adoção de serviços bancários móveis (mobile banking ou m-banking) e o perfil dos clientes que utilizam esse serviço em um banco no contexto brasileiro, o Banco do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul (Banrisul). A pesquisa foi realizada por meio de um estudo de caso único no Banrisul, no qual foram realizadas entrevistas e análise de dados secundários. Foram pesquisadas as características de 628 usuários de mobile banking do banco pesquisado, contemplando-se 7046 acessos a esse serviço. A pesquisa utilizou como principal referencial teórico a Teoria de Difusão da Inovação (TDI) de Rogers (2003). Por meio da análise de dados foi possível identificar hábitos e características relacionadas ao comportamento dos usuários dos serviços de m-banking. O perfil do usuário de m-banking Banrisul encontrado foi: em geral é do gênero masculino, solteiro, possui curso superior, idade média de 33 anos (idades entre 26 a 35 anos), com renda mensal entre R$ 2.000,00 a R$ 3.000,00 Reais. Os principais serviços utilizados são: extrato de conta corrente (65,2%), saldo de conta corrente (30,4%) e transferências entre contas (2,6%), totalizando 98,2% dos serviços utilizados no período estudado. O conhecimento desses dados é importante, pois os usuários analisados podem ser considerados como os usuários inovadores ou adotantes iniciais de acordo com a TDI. O conhecimento de seu perfil e hábitos de acesso é útil para planejar ações futuras relacionadas à difusão do mobile banking na instituição pesquisada. O conhecimento do caso também é útil a outras instituições e pesquisadores interessados em práticas de mobile banking. / This study was conducted to analyze the case of adoption of mobile banking (mobile banking or m-banking) and the profile of customers who use this service on a bench in the Brazilian context, the Banco do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul (Banrisul). The survey was conducted through a single case study in Banrisul, in which there were interviews and secondary data analysis. We investigated the characteristics of 628 users of mobile banking bank researched, covering 7046 to access this service. The survey used as the main theoretical Theory of Diffusion of Innovation (TDI) of Rogers (2003). Through data analysis it was possible to identify the habits and characteristics related to the behavior of users of m-banking services. The user profile of m-banking Banrisul was found: in general is male, single, have college degrees, average age 33 years (ranging from 26 to 35 years), with monthly income between R $ 2,000.00 R $ 3,000.00 reais. The main services used are: current account statement (65.2%), current account balance (30.4%) and transfers between accounts (2.6%), totaling 98.2% of services used during the study period. Knowledge of these data is important, because users were analyzed can be considered as innovative users or early adopters according to TDI. Knowing your profile and habits of access is useful for planning future actions related to the diffusion of mobile banking in this institution. The knowledge of the case is also useful to other institutions and researchers interested in mobile banking practices.

The requirement for affordable, secure and sustainable energy production is a pressing global challenge and the production of electricity with low carbon emissions is crucial. This usually entails large quantities of renewable energy generation, which is intermittent and often highly distributed throughout the electricity supply system. One of the proposed schemes to manage such generation is the smart grid, the transition to which forms the context for this research. The aim is to investigate the effect of certain psychological and social influences on the adoption of technology necessary to enable smart grids, in order to understand the implications for effective energy policy. In particular, the case of photovoltaic (PV) system adoption in the UK is studied. Empirical data detailing PV installations registered for the Feed in Tariff is analysed in order to understand rates of adoption and how they vary across both time and space. This analysis is combined with a review of policy intervention and literature from psychology to understand drivers for adoption among householders. The results from this study are then used to inform the design of an Agent Based Model of technology adoption within the smart grid context. The decision making of householders is modelled using an algorithm based on Social Cognitive Theory. The model is used to simulate different conditions and generate adoption scenarios in order to understand the potential effects of different parameters on adoption rates. In order to combine the analysis resulting from these methods, the multi-level perspective on transition in socio-technical systems is used to understand how a transition to a smart grid could be described and how adoption of PV in the UK under the Feed in Tariff incentive fits into such a transition. The results show that whilst economic incentive policies have had success in some areas adoption is also dependent on many non-financial parameters. Simulations show that the observability of adoption and the perceived inconvenience or urgency of adoption can have dramatic effects on rates of adoption, in some cases outweighing the rational economic effects of financial incentives. The implication for smart grid related policy is that non-financial factors should be taken into account as well as the more typical financial considerations in efforts to encourage adoption of necessary enabling technology by householders. The models developed could be used in further work to examine in detail adoption of other technologies such as smart home energy management systems and the interaction between adoption rates of multiple smart technologies.

With the rise of digital technologies, consumers can stream music content, which has made it more difficult for music companies to be profitable. Small business owners in the music recording industry in the West Indies have found this trend particularly challenging, affecting their profitability. This multiple case study explored the adoption of disruptive technologies by small business owners in the music recording industry to increase profitability. The research population included 5 small business owners in the music recording industry in the West Indies who successfully adapted to the changes in the industry's business model and whose businesses are profitable. Christensen's theory of disruptive innovation served as the conceptual framework for this study. Data from face-to-face, semistructured, in-depth interviews, observations, and analysis of internal company documents were collected and triangulated. Within-case analysis was used to understand the general meaning of the participants' responses. Each case was described and themes were identified. Cross-case analysis was used to compare the 5 case descriptions and identify 5 cross-cutting themes. These 5 themes included focus on live performances, focus on marketing and building a brand, adopt innovations in all functions of the business, diversify income streams, and adopt vertical integration strategies. The implications for positive social change include the potential to increase the profitability of small businesses in the recording industry in the West Indies by sharing the strategies emerging from the study. Profitable businesses can lead to improved livelihoods of the small business owners and their families.

Estudo das ressonâncias de três corpos na zona habitável (ZH), da estrela GJ 581 (Gliese 581), envolvendo dois planetas conhecidos e um terceiro planeta dentro da ZH. Séries de Lie são usadas para obter o Hamiltoniano médio (de segunda ordem nas massas) e teoria de Chirikov é usada para gerar um novo sistema de varáveis canônicas em que os momentos se orientam ao longo e através da ressonância. Um mapa de Hadjidemetriou é construido e permite o cálculo rápido da difusão das órbitas em uma extensa grade de condições iniciais. / Study of three-body resonances in the habitable zone (ZH), the star GJ 581 (Gliese 581), involving two known planets, and a third planet in the ZH. Lie series are used to obtain the average Hamiltonian (the second-order mass) and Chirikov theory is used to generate a new canonical variables system in which the moments are oriented along and across the resonance. A map of Hadjidemetriou is constructed and allows rapid calculation of the diffusion of orbits in an extensive grid of initial conditions.

Estudo das ressonâncias de três corpos na zona habitável (ZH), da estrela GJ 581 (Gliese 581), envolvendo dois planetas conhecidos e um terceiro planeta dentro da ZH. Séries de Lie são usadas para obter o Hamiltoniano médio (de segunda ordem nas massas) e teoria de Chirikov é usada para gerar um novo sistema de varáveis canônicas em que os momentos se orientam ao longo e através da ressonância. Um mapa de Hadjidemetriou é construido e permite o cálculo rápido da difusão das órbitas em uma extensa grade de condições iniciais. / Study of three-body resonances in the habitable zone (ZH), the star GJ 581 (Gliese 581), involving two known planets, and a third planet in the ZH. Lie series are used to obtain the average Hamiltonian (the second-order mass) and Chirikov theory is used to generate a new canonical variables system in which the moments are oriented along and across the resonance. A map of Hadjidemetriou is constructed and allows rapid calculation of the diffusion of orbits in an extensive grid of initial conditions.