Despite our awareness of the fascination modern humans have with the Internet, little is known about how and why colleges and universities create and maintain Websites. At the most general level, in this case study, I hypothesize that university Websites serve as communication and marketing tools in attracting students. At the most specific level, I postulate that civil engineering programs with Web pages depicting images of women and minorities would be more successful in recruiting and retaining women and students of color than civil engineering programs with Web pages displaying fewer or no images of women and minorities. The primary goal of this case study was to examine the relationships between Website information content and the recruitment and retention of women and minority pre-civil engineering students. The second, but equally important, goal was to investigate the reason(s) why, despite efforts to recruit and retain individuals from disenfranchised populations into STEM majors, students from these groups not only remain underrepresented in engineering, but leave this discipline at a much higher rate than their non-minority male counterparts. This case study focused on two Florida state university civil engineering programs and drew on ethnographic research methods. I used interviews, focus groups, Web pages, demographic sheets, and observations to examine the relationships between Website content and access to undergraduate civil engineering programs for women and students of color. The study sample involved 40 respondents, including pre-civil engineering students, civil engineering professors, and university administrators. Research findings suggested that Internet marketing has become a key strategy used by civil engineering programs in recruiting and retaining students from underrepresented groups. Additionally, the study revealed that both prospective and pre-civil engineering students use departmental Websites for communication and enrollment purposes. Last, but certainly not least, the study found that online climate is a significant factor in the recruitment and retention of women and students of color in civil engineering programs.

本研究使用眼動儀器與神經科學的分析方式，探討網站設計時運用虛擬替身與個人化推薦而設計出不同的個人化購物網站，是否會影響使用者對網站親密度與產品購買意願上有不同感受。研究問題共有三個：1.網站個人化設計對網站親密度的影響程度。2.網站個人化設計對於產品購買意願的影響程度。3.使用者是否會注意到網站的個人化設計。研究結果發現個人化推薦會對網站親密度及購買意願產生正向影響，而虛擬替身則只會對親密感產生正面的影響。虛擬替身及個人化推薦都會提高消費者的對該區域的首次瀏覽時間。 / The purpose of this study is to use eye tracking analysis to investigate whether different designs of shopping websites using personalization and avatar will influence users’ website intimacy and product buying attention. First, we want to know the relationship between personalized design and website intimacy. Second, we want to know the relationship between personalized design and product buying attention. The last one is whether users pay attention to personalized designs on websites. An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of personalized recommendation and avatar. The results indicate that personalization had positive impacts on users’ perceived intimacy, and users’ total gaze duration has positive effects on both website intimacy and product buying attention.

Studiens syfte var att synliggöra och analysera hur företag som av konsumenter uppfattas som hållbara kommunicerar kring hållbarhet på sina hemsidor. En ökad förståelse inom området för CSR-kommunikation kan dels bidra till akademisk kunskap, men också ligga till grund för mer normativa modeller som kan skapa praktiska fördelar för företag. Internet har utvecklats till en av de mest betydande kommunikationskanalerna inom CSR. Hemsidor är ett dynamiskt medium för kommunikation som erbjuder både flexibilitet och enkel uppdatering.För genomförandet av studien har vi använt oss av två analysmodeller för att tolka budskap, en diskursanalys och en bildanalys. Tidigare studier om CSR-kommunikation har studerat text, men språket är inte det enda att ta hänsyn till vid tolkning av budskap, bilder och illustrationer har också en central roll. Genom att använda två analysmodeller kunde vi stu-dera företagens CSR-budskap. Studien omfattar fem företag som representerar olika branscher och begränsas till företagens hemsidor. Företagen som ingår i studien uppfattas som bransch-bäst inom hållbarhet av konsumenter.Resultatet visade att CSR-kommunikation på hemsidor är adresserad till konsumenter, vilket är rimligt. Det vi fann särskilt intressant var hur den är det. Kommunikationen har en inklu-derande diskurs där konsumenten tas in i kontexten och blir en del av helheten. Tidigare var det företagen som stod i kontext, nu är det ”vi”, i.e. företag och konsumenter tillsammans. Studien har bidragit med ett nytt akademiskt fokus som problematiserar hur företagens ansvar har gått till att bli konsumenters och företags gemensamma ansvar. / The purpose of this study is to visualize and analyze how companies perceived as sustainable by consumers communicate sustainability on their websites. The study will contribute to increased academic knowledge in the field of CSR communication, to business economic theory of sustainability. Internet has become one of the most significant communication channels within CSR and websites are a dynamic medium of communication that offers both flexibility and easy update.Previous studies of CSR communication have either studied text or image. Language is not the only thing to consider when interpreting messages, images and illustrations also have a central role. CSR messages from five companies in different industries have been analysed with the help of two analytical models. The companies were chosen based on their high sustainability ranking among consumers.The results showed that CSR communication on websites addressed to consumers, which is reasonable. What we found particularly interesting was that the communication has an inclu-sive discourse in which the consumer is taken into context. Earlier the companies was in context, now it is "we" i.e. businesses and consumers together. The study has contributed a new academic focus that problematize how corporate responsibility has passed to become consumers and companies joint responsibility.This thesis is written in Swedish.

Denna studie är en fortsättning på kandidatuppsatsen Sveriges kommuners turisthemsidor – En studie om var Sveriges kommuner befinner sig i webbutvecklingen i relation till web 2.0 genomförd av Johansson och Winther som är två av författarna till denna studie. Syftet med denna studie är att ge en ökad förståelse för hur Sveriges kommuner arbetar med sina turisthemsidor samt sociala medier. Denna kandidatuppsats genomfördes genom en observation samt kvalitativa intervjuer med tio av Sveriges 290 kommuner. Resultatet visade att kommunerna använder sina turisthemsidor och sociala medier för att nå ut till önskade målgrupper. Det visade sig även att flera av kommunerna befinner sig i en utvecklingsfas gällande webbplatserna. Endast hälften av kommunerna med turisthemsidor har en digital strategi. / This study continues on the bachelor thesis Sweden’s municipalities’ tourist sites - A study of where Sweden’s municipalities stand in their web development compared to web 2.0, conducted by Johansson and Winther who are two of the authors of this study.The purpose of this study is to provide a greater understanding of how Swedish municipalities work with their tourist websites and social media. This bachelor thesis was conducted by an observation and qualitative interviews with ten of Sweden's 290 municipalities. The results showed that municipalities use their tourist sites and social media to reach desired target audiences. It was also found that many of the municipalities are in a development phase regarding their tourist sites. Only half of the municipalities with tourist sites have a digital strategy.

Il presente progetto di ricerca dottorale si colloca nell’ambito del linguaggio delle relazioni diplomatiche bilaterali. In particolare, si occupa di analizzare i siti web delle Ambasciate dell’Australia, del Canada, della Nuova Zelanda, del Regno Unito, e degli Stati Uniti accreditate presso l’Italia e dotate di un sito web in versione bilingue Inglese-Italiano. L’analisi viene affrontata da una duplice prospettiva: multimodale e traduttologica, soffermandosi in particolare sul processo attraverso cui la semiotica visiva di ogni sito e la traduzione dei testi presenti in esso acquistano valore diplomatico. / The present work analyses five Embassy websites: the British Embassy website, the Canadian Embassy website, the Australian Embassy website, the USA Embassy website and the New Zealand Embassy website. All of them present a bilingual version (English-Italian). Translated websites lend themselves particularly well to an interdisciplinary study approach that caters both for their intrinsic multimodality and the translation/localization process they have undergone. To this end, the analysis is carried out from a twofold perspective: visual and translational, with a focus on how the visual semiotics of each website and the translated version acquire diplomatic meaning.

Web2.0的盛行改變了目前網路資訊傳播方式，民眾對網路資訊擴散參與度也日益增加及重要，電子醫學網站肩負健康衛教資訊及新技術推廣的重責，如何利用Web2.0的特性，讓民眾可以輕易、適時、適所獲得相關醫學資訊是所有醫學網站所要研究的課題。因此除了如何提供質優量多且可信度、專業性高的醫療資訊外，醫學網站更要研究並了解民眾的實際需求期望及最易接受的資訊管道方式，使得相關資訊能無礙地傳送到民眾面前。本研究即以個案研究的方式，來探討如何藉由Web 2.0網路資訊平台及資訊管道設計概念，利用創新擴散策略思考及方法來推廣相關新醫療科技，使非營利組織也能像其他電子商務網站的經營方式一樣，與使用者建立價值共創的關係；並繼續延伸探討後續推廣策略建議，以提供相關網站經營參考。 本研究選定中華民國口腔雷射醫學會網站，作為本研究的個案網站，不同於一般醫學會網站的社群經營，都是以傳統單向的型錄式資訊提供方式為主，缺乏互動性及使用者導向設計。本研究的個案網站卻是集合所有專業會員醫師之群力，將民眾所需要的臨床案例、口腔新聞、醫療知識和新知、線上諮詢功能及院所指南等，加以整合，讓民眾可以藉由簡單的資訊搜尋引擎方式來找到相關完整資訊，創造出新的經營模式。本研究即藉由問卷及深度訪談，分析網路使用民眾對個案的知識創新推廣模式的接受度，並以此為基礎，研究歸納出可行的網站經營建議方案，作為個案網站在未來的經營方向之參考。 / The popularity of the concept of Web 2.0 has altered the ways information transmitted, and increases the importance of the participation of internet users on disseminating information. Electronic-health websites (e-health websites) have great responsibility of promoting the public health education and new medical technologies and treatments to the public. It is an important task for these websites applying the concept of web 2.0 to provide the public the easy and timely access to relevant information. In addition, e-health websites should also offer trustworthy and professional health information to meet the expectation of the users. In this study we use a case study to examine how to apply Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the concept of web 2.0 to understand the promotion of the new medical technologies and treatments. The results will help Non-Profit Organization (NPO) to transform to a highly efficient information exchanging platform and also to establish the relationship of value co-creation website. Our case website is the Taiwan Academy of Laser in Dentistry (TALD) that is different from other medical websites using traditional approach of providing static information (Web 1.0). This website is interactive and user-oriented by integrating the medical cases from dentists, latest medical news, most recent medical breakthrough, functions of searching the nearest dentists, introductions of dental clinics, and son on. This new model allows the regular users to find the relevant information in a timely manner. By survey and in-depth interviews, we are able to analyze the users’ behavior and provide recommendations for management to improve its performance.

在WEB 2.0時代的帶動下，社群網站已然成為時下流行文化，個人創作者紛紛投入社群網站的經營，觀察近年來幾個事件，社群網站對於創作者的發展確有推波助瀾之效，為有助於創作者對社群網站的運用，本研究針對個人創作者與社群網站兩者之間的關係與影響，進行分析、研究。 因此，本研究採取質性研究，以多重個案分析，一個創作者即為一個個案。以貼近一般大眾閱讀口味的類型為主，選取文學小說、兩性家庭、生活風格三大類。從近三千位華文創作者中，首先挑選上百位創作者公開的社群網站，再從個人創作到作品出版的五大步驟與歷程：（一）創意的產生與發展；（二）作品的呈現方式；（三）作品的傳遞與管道；（四）作品的行銷與推廣；（五）創作者個人品牌的建立與累積，觀察、分析三種不同類型創作者的社群網站在這五大面向的內容與作為，比較各個創作者社群網站經營的異同，以期找出社群網站經營之道與影響力。 經過分析與研究，歸納出以下結果：（一）個人創作運用社群網站有助於創意的產生與發展，意見的回饋對於創作的方向更能掌握，呈現的方式越趨多樣化，朝多媒體發展，也能藉社群網站累積人氣、增加知名度、建立個人品牌。（二）社群網站提供創作者固定的據點，使他們易於被看見與聯繫；不同類型的創作者以各自擅長的方式在此展現自我，營造自我特性。創作者活用社群網站此項工具，並著重回歸到創作的核心能力。 本研究提供後進創作者經營社群網站的策略擬定與具體建議，並給予和創作者息息相關的出版產業一些意見，以及對於社群網站研究有興趣者參考，可擴及將創作者延伸至文創產業或相關產業的應用研究。 / Driven by web 2.0, social networking websites have become part of the pop culture. Creative writers have been jumping on the bandwagon running their own social networking websites. From the observation of recent events, it has confirmed that social networking websites did have helped promote the creative writers. In order to improve the use of social networking websites for the creative writers, this research analyzed and studied the relationship and influence between the creative writers and social networking websites. This research comprised of multiple qualitative case studies – one creative writer forming a single case – and focused on three popular genres, literature and fiction, relationships as well as lifestyle. First of all, hundreds of Chinese creative writers’ public social networking websites out of approximately 3,000 were selected. The next step was observing and analyzing the content and behaviors of the creative writers of these three genres on social networking websites during the five primary activities in the publishing process: the development of ideas; the presentation; the delivery channels; marketing and promotion; the branding and reputation of the author. This research was to find out the key success factors and influence of social networking websites through the comparison between those creative writers’ websites. Following the analysis and studies, the conclusion was drawn as follows: 1.Social networking websites are beneficial for the development of ideas. Online feedback provides the directions for writing. It diversifies the presentation especially the use of multi-media. Meanwhile social networking websites also help boost the awareness and popularity of the writers and ultimately build the personal branding up. 2.Social networking websites provide a stable platform for writing where the writers can be easily seen and contacted. Creative writers of various genres express themselves in their own specialist ways, shape their own USPs (unique selling propositions) and re-focus on the pivotal skills – writing – through the wise use of social networking websites as a tool. This research provides the subsequent creative writers with the strategies and advice on how to operate social networking websites. It also provides suggestions to the publishing industry that is closely linked with the creative writers. For researchers who are interested in social networking websites, this research may be applied to cultural and creative industry or other related industries.

The use of Information Technology in construction is below best practice when compared to other industries. The construction industry is now, however, on the verge of widespread acceptance of internet technology and the communications benefits this can bring. Construction collaboration technology, where project teams use the internet as an interface for project communications, have emerged as a potentially valuable tool. Little research has been focused in this area, particularly on how this phenomenon is being experienced. The aim of this research is to develop a better understanding of the way people experience the use of the internet for information sharing on construction projects and the preliminary identification of the skills set (Knowledge, Skills and Abilities - KSAs) required for industry members to effectively participate. Phenomenography was selected as an appropriate research methodology to provide an empirical, representative and descriptive research approach and to provide a qualitative based study in a field dominated by quantitative studies. This is a 'second-order approach' which focuses on the experiences of the participants as described by them. A pilot and three major case studies were selected to identify research participants for interviews. A total of nineteen interviews were conducted and transcribed during 2003 in Australia, the United States of America and the United Kingdom, which formed the research data. A phenomenographic analysis was performed on the research data revealing seven 'categories of description' which describe the limited number of qualitatively different ways that the phenomenon is being experienced. A relationship exists between the different categories which can be structured in a logical framework called the outcome space. The preliminary identification of the skills set is then proposed from the research data and the phenomenographic outcomes to provide construction project participants and the industry a first pass on what Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs) may be required for effective participation.

Thesis (MPhil (Journalism))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / Magazine publishers are under increasing pressure to extend their business strategies beyond the traditional printed products. A culture of instant gratification of media needs, pervasive social networking and the immediacy of content delivery, which are all provided by the World Wide Web, aggravate fears that readers will ultimately abandon the printed media in favour of the Internet as the primary content provider. These fears are rooted in the assumption that consumers choose the media they use based on preconceived ideas as to how these media will fulfil their needs. If the Internet succeeds in supplanting or displacing printed media, it could potentially destroy the traditional magazine model whereby publishers simultaneously generate revenue from the sale of media content to their audience and the sale of the audience’s attention to their advertisers. Therefore it is imperative that magazine publishers develop a relevant and efficient strategy to maintain their position as “intermediary” between advertisers and the media audience. To develop such a strategy, they need to understand what media uses consumers have for the Internet and what gratifications they expect to receive. Once this is understood, publishers could develop their online and offline strategies to service these uses and gratifications. This thesis contains qualitative research conducted in a phenomenological paradigm through the application of two descriptive surveys. The first survey focused on the experiences and attitudes of visitors to the website of WegSleep, an Afrikaans South African niche magazine for the caravanning and camping community, whilst the second compares similarities between the seven most visited magazine websites in South Africa during 2008. A correlation of the findings leads to the conclusion that although the Internet could potentially emulate all media, readers do not employ the Internet for exactly the same purposes as printed media. Whilst some displacement does take place, magazines are still better at serving readers’ affective and escapist needs. Conversely, the Internet is the preferred medium with regard to information gathering and cognitive media needs as well as personal integrative needs. Social integrative needs appear to be non medium specific. A complementary combination of the printed product and the online offering could therefore provide gratification of all media needs and promote brand loyalty instead of medium loyalty.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:26:53Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2006-10-17Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T18:55:28Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 amaro_ler_me_assis.pdf: 8716494 bytes, checksum: 10df139e2241d7556a1c18923e0287b5 (MD5) / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / O presente trabalho tem como tema a recepção Camões nas seções Ensaios/Artigos e Notas e Comentários da revista portuguesa Colóquio Letras (1971-2005) e dos websites, em Língua Portuguesa, sobre Luís Vaz de Camões. No caso de Colóquio Letras, a dificuldade de acesso à obra camoniana e aos textos que facilitam o seu estudo e a sua interpretação, pelo alto custo e por ser impresso, disponível apenas em poucas localidades e no caso do hipertexto, pela mídia em que se insere, acessível em domicílio a apenas 8,6% da população brasileira, segundo o I.B.G.E (tabela de valores absolutos e relativos de 2001-2004), levaramnos a considerar que este estudo facilitará e colaborará, além de ser disponibilizado gratuitamente e estar presente em texto e hipertexto, para o estudo de Luís Vaz de Camões. Nossos objetivos finais são a catalogação e crítica dos textos da Colóquio Letras e seleção dos melhores websites sobre Camões, por meio de fichas catalográficas do programa Camões on-line. Para o primeiro tópico, as análises foram elaboradas de acordo com o texto ao qual se referem, visto que encontramos vários escritores, produzindo em décadas diferentes, inspirados por teorias distintas. Para o segundo, catalogar e indexar o conteúdo (hipertextual e textual), desenvolvendo uma tecnologia exclusiva para seu acesso e veiculação (website e programa Camões on-line); a partir deste conteúdo, traçar a recepção crítica de Camões, levando-se em consideração aspectos como ideário veiculado, teoria literária aplicada, abordagem do discurso, intertextualidade. Os escritores, cujas obras mais nos apoiaram teoricamente, foram Hernani Cidade, Jacinto do Prado Coelho, Carlos Reis, Antonio Freire, A.J. Saraiva e Oscar Lopes, para o primeiro e segundo capítulo e Pierre Lèvy... / This paper has as theme the critical fortune about Luís Vaz de Camões in the sections Essays/Articles and Notes and Comments of the Portuguese magazine Colóquio Letras (1971-2005) and from the websites, in Portuguese, about the same author. In relation to Colóquio Letras, the difficulty to access Camões essays and texts that facilitate its study and interpretation is due to the high cost of this magazine and, being printed, it is only available in few localities. In the case of hypertext, which is inserted in the media, it is accessible in residences for only 8.6 per cent of Brazilian population, according to IBGE an important Brazilian agency responsible for statistics and geographical researches (chart of absolute and relative values of 2001-2004). These facts lead us to consider that this study will facilitate and collaborate for the studies about Luís Vaz de Camões, beside the fact of being availed for free and being present in texts and hypertext. Our final objectives are the catalogue and criticism of the texts present in Colóquio Letras and the selection of the best websites about Camões, through index cards of the program Camões online. For this first topic, the analyses were elaborated according to the text which is referred to, once we have met many writers, producing in different decades, inspired by different theories. Then, for the second topic, we catalogued and indexed the (hyper textual and textual) contents, developing an exclusive technology for their access and transmission (website and the program Camões on-line). Starting from these contents, our intention is to trace the critical fortune about Camões considering aspects such as transmitted idea, applied literary theory, discourse approach and intertextuality ...(Complete abstract, click electronic address below)