This thesis addresses the hypothesis “ Intragroup cultural differences between client and therapist will adversely affect client – therapist consonance in their perception of arts therapies group treatment” The literature review of intercultural psychotherapy, arts therapies and congruence research is contextualised in a discussion of the arts therapies in the UK, in particular group therapy in psychiatry. The discussion of the evolution of a multi modal research design incorporates an ethnographic perspective. The researcher shows how the setting and two pilot studies as well as the Evidence Based Practice initiative influenced the design. The main concepts in the research question are defined and the sample analysed within its local context. Helping and hindering factors in arts therapies group sessions are identified through cluster analysis of questionnaires and focus groups. The next stage of the analysis examines which client, therapist and treatment variables are shown to affect dissonance. Five case studies show the interaction of these variables for individual clients. The concluding chapter discusses the findings and critiques the methodology, as well as providing recommendations for further research. The hypothesis of the research is found invalid; cultural background variables alone do not create client-therapist dissonance. The findings show that client, therapist and treatment variables interact to create dissonance. Client diagnosis, stage of treatment and cultural background interact with their experience of the arts therapies medium. In an arts therapy group context the structuring of the group and the interpretation of the arts expression as symbol or index, will interact with client and therapist cultural background variables. The intragroup variations are migration history, nationality, religious orientation and first language spoken. Cultural difference with the therapist affecting dissonance was evident for those clients who were third generation English / British and who had grown up and were still resident in an non-urban area (small town or village in a predominantly agricultural region) with little cultural diversity. Intergroup difference affected attrition for one client, influenced more by peer than therapist dissonance. Treatment interruptions, the theoretical orientation of the therapists and peer dissonance interact with the client-therapist dissonance. Recommendations for practice are formulated from these findings. These concern adjusting practice to allow for a greater emphasis on expression and play, differing client perceptions about symbolism and the establishing of an early therapeutic alliance.

協同規劃預測補貨(CPFR®; Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment)是近年來當紅的供應鏈實務。1998年由VICS發表CPFR指導方針至今已有許多導入個案，但探討雙方交易的本質，亦即數量與價格，則發現所有CPFR文獻及VICS提出的CPFR模型，僅探討買賣雙方間的交易數量，完全沒有與價格相關的論述，顯示CPFR模型並不完整，因此產生本研究之研究動機。 連續補貨實務(CRP; Continuous Replenishment Program)的文獻指出CRP的實行需要簡單穩定的交易價格，另外巴西導入CPFR個案則提及零售商認為穩定的價格有利於協同，暗示CPFR需要穩定的交易價格，由此可知CPFR有其適用性限制。本研究推論CPFR適用性與導入產品之品類價格穩定性有關，因此針對台灣五個CPFR個案進行個案研究，對研究命題：「常銷性產品有補貨需求且名目品類價格穩定者，容易發揮CPFR效益，因此較適合導入CPFR」進行驗證。 個案研究結果指出，VICS之CPFR模型有適用性限制，並非如VICS認為可以適用於所有產業的所有產品。研究結果顯示研究命題為真，CPFR模型的適用性受到「補貨需求強度」和「品類價格穩定度」的影響，其較適用於有補貨需求且名目品類價格穩定之「常銷性產品」，如R公司的電動木工機、特力的燈具和寶僑的美髮類品牌產品；CPFR較不適用於有補貨需求但品類價格不穩定的「大宗商品」，如中環的光碟片；CPFR也較不適用於很少有補貨需求的「易腐性產品」，如育冠的季節性商品與R公司的一次生產促銷產品。 其中，具備穩定名目品類價格之「常銷性產品」，儘管可能因其他風險分擔約定而具備不穩定之實質品類價格，但穩定之名目品類價格能在CPFR流程中降低提早購買(forward buying)及價格問題所造成的補貨延遲，使CPFR效益容易發揮，因此較適合導入CPFR；「大宗商品」的品類價格受市場價格影響，品類價格不穩定，不僅無法降低提早購買，且在CPFR流程中為了避免因議價造成補貨延遲反而需要維持較高存貨水準才能因應缺貨風險，使之難以發揮CPFR效益，較不適合導入CPFR；「易腐性產品」因為具備很少補貨需求，不是適合導入CPFR的產品，此類產品的電子化供應鏈重點應該在於協同開發與顧客關係管理。 本研究更進一步推論研究命題二：「同一品類之常銷性產品，名目品類價格不穩定者導入CPFR的效益會較名目品類價格穩定者為低」，與研究命題三：「適合導入CPFR之常銷性產品，不一定要導入完整CPFR才能獲得效益」。此兩命題分別表示：穩定名目品類價格是常銷性產品獲得CPFR導入效益的促進因素，且CPFR模型無法一體適用所有常銷性產品。 根據本研究研究結果，本研究認為VICS之CPFR模型因缺乏探討品類價格而不夠完善，建議VICS應將CPFR適用性納入CPFR模型中以臻完善。

This PhD research project views and examines the socio-economic environment of the urban Indigenous Australian entrepreneur. The proposed research project explores Indigenous entrepreneurs. As they experience enlightenment, empowerment and emancipation through success in business, do they identify less with Indigenous culture and more with the Anglo-European values of the dominant Australian or American culture? Do successful Indigenous entrepreneurs, in effect, need to take on or adopt values of the dominant Anglo-European culture to remain successful in business? Are there impediments/inhibitors existing that restrict business growth and subsequent success to the Indigenous entrepreneur? From case study analysis and literature review, is the Indigenous entrepreneur different in comparison with the non-indigenous entrepreneur? Does entrepreneurship free the Indigenous business person from the welfare system? These are the questions that this research attempts to answer. The project involved a case study analysis of twenty five contemporary urban Indigenous Australian entrepreneurs geographically spread from Hobart, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Cairns and a few major regional centres. The Hawaiian study was similar with twenty five case studies from the major urban centres on the islands of Oahu, Molokai, Kauai, Hawaii and Maui. The Hawaiian study also included a control study of sixteen non-Hawaiian minority entrepreneurs to ensure that the Hawaiian findings were objective. Indigenous Standpoint theory was applied together with a Grounded theory approach to ensure that the research was based in an Indigenous epistemological approach to knowledge. Constant comparative coding was used to ensure the qualitative data was analysed using a semi structured format. The outcomes of the study provide a rich insight into the world of minority entrepreneurs who operate within post-colonial cultures of western dominance and negative stereotypes that have created welfare dependant societies. In summary the outcomes identify that the intrinsic motivator for Indigenous entrepreneurs is to provide for their family, to give their children a better life than what they experienced, and to escape the entrapments of poverty. Racism and discrimination combined with lack of capital and access to micro-credit were seen as the major inhibitors to business success. The Indigenous entrepreneurs are struggling to cast off the shackles of welfare, to no longer be at the mercy of successive government programmes. The study results indicate that success in small enterprise undertakings by Indigenous entrepreneurs is a move up from self management, success in entrepreneurial activity is self-determination for those entrepreneurs. The end result is one of micro-economic reform within the Indigenous families who benefit from the success in small business enterprise and entrepreneurial activity. Indigenous values in Hawaii were maintained with a strong connection to land and language, whether it be spoken or not by the entrepreneur. It was the values attached to language that included a strong work ethic, maturity and respect that were seen to be dominant issues. Within Indigenous Australia the result of genocide inflicted on successive Indigenous generations has not destroyed Indigenous Australian culture altogether. Strong views remain concerning protocol and ethics, what has evolved are contemporary Indigenous values that allow the Indigenous Australian to maintain cultural standards revolving around kinship in contemporary Australia.

This PhD research project views and examines the socio-economic environment of the urban Indigenous Australian entrepreneur. The proposed research project explores Indigenous entrepreneurs. As they experience enlightenment, empowerment and emancipation through success in business, do they identify less with Indigenous culture and more with the Anglo-European values of the dominant Australian or American culture? Do successful Indigenous entrepreneurs, in effect, need to take on or adopt values of the dominant Anglo-European culture to remain successful in business? Are there impediments/inhibitors existing that restrict business growth and subsequent success to the Indigenous entrepreneur? From case study analysis and literature review, is the Indigenous entrepreneur different in comparison with the non-indigenous entrepreneur? Does entrepreneurship free the Indigenous business person from the welfare system? These are the questions that this research attempts to answer. The project involved a case study analysis of twenty five contemporary urban Indigenous Australian entrepreneurs geographically spread from Hobart, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Cairns and a few major regional centres. The Hawaiian study was similar with twenty five case studies from the major urban centres on the islands of Oahu, Molokai, Kauai, Hawaii and Maui. The Hawaiian study also included a control study of sixteen non-Hawaiian minority entrepreneurs to ensure that the Hawaiian findings were objective. Indigenous Standpoint theory was applied together with a Grounded theory approach to ensure that the research was based in an Indigenous epistemological approach to knowledge. Constant comparative coding was used to ensure the qualitative data was analysed using a semi structured format. The outcomes of the study provide a rich insight into the world of minority entrepreneurs who operate within post-colonial cultures of western dominance and negative stereotypes that have created welfare dependant societies. In summary the outcomes identify that the intrinsic motivator for Indigenous entrepreneurs is to provide for their family, to give their children a better life than what they experienced, and to escape the entrapments of poverty. Racism and discrimination combined with lack of capital and access to micro-credit were seen as the major inhibitors to business success. The Indigenous entrepreneurs are struggling to cast off the shackles of welfare, to no longer be at the mercy of successive government programmes. The study results indicate that success in small enterprise undertakings by Indigenous entrepreneurs is a move up from self management, success in entrepreneurial activity is self-determination for those entrepreneurs. The end result is one of micro-economic reform within the Indigenous families who benefit from the success in small business enterprise and entrepreneurial activity. Indigenous values in Hawaii were maintained with a strong connection to land and language, whether it be spoken or not by the entrepreneur. It was the values attached to language that included a strong work ethic, maturity and respect that were seen to be dominant issues. Within Indigenous Australia the result of genocide inflicted on successive Indigenous generations has not destroyed Indigenous Australian culture altogether. Strong views remain concerning protocol and ethics, what has evolved are contemporary Indigenous values that allow the Indigenous Australian to maintain cultural standards revolving around kinship in contemporary Australia.

The U.S. National Library of Medicine brought the intensifying interest in open science to national attention when it joined enthusiastic scientists to introduce and host an Amazon-like rating forum on PubMed—the world's largest database of indexed biomedical and life sciences literature. The result was PubMed Commons. In June 2013, the commenting forum was introduced for open discussion about published scientific literature as part of a three-pronged approach to improve research rigor, reproducibility, and transparency. In Feb. 2018, the forum was unexpectedly discontinued. This retrospective explanatory case study research asked the question, "What happened on the way to the forum?" Answers came from a variety of resources using multiple methodologies for data collection and analysis. Historical data from PubMed Commons' 7,629 comments and 1,551 commenters; key informant interviews with PubMed Commons editors; and a systematized search for published articles, gray literature; and social media content about PubMed Commons were analyzed using computer-mediated discourse analysis and a social network analysis. Results from the quantitative content analysis described a forum with little participation, and the qualitative content analysis demonstrated that active forum members were focused primarily on providing links to other information resources and discussing aspects of post-publication peer review. The social network analysis revealed a disconnected network, which was supported by a sociogram showing a community of independents with only seven small clusters. Findings pointed to 11 factors that affected the forum's adoption and use. Rogers' diffusion of innovation theory scaffolds a forum innovation agility model developed from this work to offer a better understanding of organizational processes and to aid organizations interested in introducing and managing a similar forum. PubMed Commons was a missed opportunity. No comparable alternative is available to promote open science and serve as a tool for the expected paradigm shift in the way we do scholarly communication in science.

A lot has been said about change. For example, it is widely recognised that the only constant is change (Heraclitus, 470 BC). As such, no sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the world as it is, but the world as it will be (Isaac Asimov). As regards this, a bulk of existing researches have been aimed at understanding the triggers for change and the extent or degree to which individuals, organisations, systems or entities have to change. Generally, results from such studies vary. With specific relations to organisations, organisations are advised of the need to develop added adaptive and dynamic capabilities. One of such added adaptive and dynamic capabilities is organisational resilience. In the literature, organisational resilience has been successful linked with organisations ability to maintain long term performance. Hence, the research is not about re-examining the relationship between organisational resilience and organisations ability to maintain long term performance. This research focuses on exploring the critical success factors required to maintain long term performance and building adequate resilience into systems undergoing changes. The investigation was conducted in three phases, namely: (a) the exploratory phase; (b) the descriptive phase; and the empirical phase. The exploratory phase involved identifying the critical factors essential to maintain long term performance and at the same time build resilience into their systems after undergoing organisation-wide changes. In order to make out these critical, a pilot study was conducted. 21 persons occupying senior managerial positions in different organisations were interviewed. The interview data were transcribed, coded and analysed using coding and thematic analysis to identify five common themes, namely (a) employees readiness to support ongoing organisation-wide changes; (b) development of targeted organisational adaptive capacity; (c) the provision of individualised and social support; (d) the use of stress coping mechanisms; and (e) the existence of organisational resilience strategies. The second phase of the research entailed conducting case study research with the intention of describing the identified critical success factors. The final phase entailed conducting empirical analyses and cross case analysis. Results from the cross case study analyses indicated that both resilience building at the individual level and organisational level is needed for organisations to build in resilience into their systems especially after undergoing organisation-wide changes. Three factors (i.e. employees readiness to support ongoing organisation-wide changes, the provision of individualised and social support and the use of stress coping mechanisms) were found to be more pronounced at the individual level. The remaining two factors namely development of targeted organisational adaptive capacity and the existence of organisational resilience strategies are essentially carried out at the organisational level. The research has contributed to the current body of knowledge on how organisations can strive to maintain long term performance, especially for a country like Nigeria where there still remains a dearth of such related studies. Each of the research hypotheses were either confirmed or non confirmed. This will give the practitioners, academicians and managers of Nigerian organisations the opportunity to understand how each of the sub factors of the five critical success factors can influence on attempts to build organisational resilience. In addition, specific actions that managers can follow over the life of an organisation-wide change project that will improve the resilience of systems undergoing change. In addition, differences in how varied control factors can influence resilience building in organisations were explored and validated based on the results of the Mann Whitney test results. At the end of the thesis, recommendations for future practice and research were made. One of such is that resilience building at both levels be done concurrently and given equal prominence.

Hospitais de ensino apresentam relevância social e econômica para o país, uma vez que são responsáveis pelo atendimento de alta complexidade e capacitação de recursos humanos, além de se caracterizarem pela complexidade de suas operações, com intensos fluxos de materiais, informações, profissionais e pacientes. Entretanto, eles atuam sob a pressão da escassez de recursos financeiros e a necessidade de redução dos custos totais das contas hospitalares. Neste contexto, a logística pode se destacar como função de relevância na agregação de valor para a organização e no serviço prestado aos pacientes, sendo que a utilização de indicadores de desempenho das atividades logísticas pode auxiliar os gestores no monitoramento dos processos, permitindo sua melhor coordenação. Porém, a falta de visão e estruturação da logística hospitalar e a ausência de práticas de avaliação e indicadores de desempenho das atividades logísticas junto aos modelos de gestão hospitalares e de estudos que abordem especificamente a avaliação das atividades logísticas no ambiente hospitalar representam problemas que devem ser considerados. Assim, o objetivo da presente pesquisa foi analisar a medição de desempenho das atividades logísticas de hospitais de ensino e propor recomendações de uso que suportem a operacionalização da logística no âmbito hospitalar. Para tanto, se utilizou uma abordagem qualitativa, de caráter exploratório, pautada nas estratégias de revisão de literatura e estudo de casos múltiplos em hospitais de ensino universitários do Estado de São Paulo. Como resultados, destaca-se a identificação das práticas de medição de desempenho deste grupo de hospitais e a proposição de indicadores de desempenho e de recomendações de uso para a operacionalização da logística no âmbito hospitalar. / Teaching hospitals have social and economic relevance to the country since they are responsible for high-complexity care and training of human resources. Besides they are characterized by the complexity of its operations, with intense flows of materials, information, professional and patient. Nevertheless, they act under the pressure of limited financial resources and the need to reduce their total costs. In this context, the logistics rises as a function of relevance in adding value to the organization and the service provided to the patients. Therefore, the use of performance indicators of logistics activities can support managers in monitoring processes enabling better coordination. However, the lack of vision and structure of hospital logistics, aligned to the lack of assessment practices and performance indicators in the management models plus the absence of studies that take these issues into account are problems to be addressed. Accordingly, this study aims to analyze the performance measurement of logistics activities in teaching hospitals and propose recommendations that support these activities. For this, it was used a qualitative and exploratory approach, based on literature review and multiple case study in university teaching hospitals of the State of São Paulo. As a result, it is highlighted the identification of some performance measurement practices, the proposal of performance indicators based on these practices and recommendations for improvements in the logistic activities in teaching hospitals.

Hospitais de ensino apresentam relevância social e econômica para o país, uma vez que são responsáveis pelo atendimento de alta complexidade e capacitação de recursos humanos, além de se caracterizarem pela complexidade de suas operações, com intensos fluxos de materiais, informações, profissionais e pacientes. Entretanto, eles atuam sob a pressão da escassez de recursos financeiros e a necessidade de redução dos custos totais das contas hospitalares. Neste contexto, a logística pode se destacar como função de relevância na agregação de valor para a organização e no serviço prestado aos pacientes, sendo que a utilização de indicadores de desempenho das atividades logísticas pode auxiliar os gestores no monitoramento dos processos, permitindo sua melhor coordenação. Porém, a falta de visão e estruturação da logística hospitalar e a ausência de práticas de avaliação e indicadores de desempenho das atividades logísticas junto aos modelos de gestão hospitalares e de estudos que abordem especificamente a avaliação das atividades logísticas no ambiente hospitalar representam problemas que devem ser considerados. Assim, o objetivo da presente pesquisa foi analisar a medição de desempenho das atividades logísticas de hospitais de ensino e propor recomendações de uso que suportem a operacionalização da logística no âmbito hospitalar. Para tanto, se utilizou uma abordagem qualitativa, de caráter exploratório, pautada nas estratégias de revisão de literatura e estudo de casos múltiplos em hospitais de ensino universitários do Estado de São Paulo. Como resultados, destaca-se a identificação das práticas de medição de desempenho deste grupo de hospitais e a proposição de indicadores de desempenho e de recomendações de uso para a operacionalização da logística no âmbito hospitalar. / Teaching hospitals have social and economic relevance to the country since they are responsible for high-complexity care and training of human resources. Besides they are characterized by the complexity of its operations, with intense flows of materials, information, professional and patient. Nevertheless, they act under the pressure of limited financial resources and the need to reduce their total costs. In this context, the logistics rises as a function of relevance in adding value to the organization and the service provided to the patients. Therefore, the use of performance indicators of logistics activities can support managers in monitoring processes enabling better coordination. However, the lack of vision and structure of hospital logistics, aligned to the lack of assessment practices and performance indicators in the management models plus the absence of studies that take these issues into account are problems to be addressed. Accordingly, this study aims to analyze the performance measurement of logistics activities in teaching hospitals and propose recommendations that support these activities. For this, it was used a qualitative and exploratory approach, based on literature review and multiple case study in university teaching hospitals of the State of São Paulo. As a result, it is highlighted the identification of some performance measurement practices, the proposal of performance indicators based on these practices and recommendations for improvements in the logistic activities in teaching hospitals.

This dissertation aimed to investigate the use of Multi-User Virtual Environments (MUVEs) as supportive materials in students&rsquo / learning process. In this respect, a MUVE named Quest Atlantis had been used by students in formal and informal learning settings. The students participated in a project that was developed based on an ecological problem resulted in fish decline in a river. As being a multiple case study research, data were collected from four separate cases, selected from three different places. Specifically, students&rsquo / and teachers&rsquo / perceptions were gathered, and challenges and barriers of implementations were investigated. The research results indicated that most of the students liked learning in environments using MUVEs. Besides being intrinsically motivated towards learning science topics, the students stated that it was a good way of reinforcing what they learn in school settings. Students found MUVEs effective learning environments as it allowed them to learn with active participation / rather than being taught as it usually happens in school context. The teachers had positive opinions about the use of MUVEs. They claimed that MUVEs have the potential to support students&rsquo / learning visually and let students learn through an inquiry-based learning approach with situated information to virtual settings. According to the teachers, MUVEs allowed various skill developments of the students and it created a dynamic learning environment in which students interacted and collaborated with each other. Even though students and teachers have positive perception about the use of MUVEs in learning setting, it is quite challenging to place these applications to learning settings, especially to formal ones. There are numerous challenges and barriers that can be faced with during the implementation process. In this research, the challenges and barriers are grouped under four main categories: 1) teacher related, 2) student related, 3) system related, and 4) technology related. When the implementation results of formal and informal learning setting were compared, it was possible to see how the very dimensions of formal learning settings made the innovative technology-based implementations difficult. On the other hand, informal learning settings were more flexible learning environments allowing a better learning experience for the students.

This study was motivated by the researcher's, as well as his superior's, concern that a fundamental area of business, information technology investment and evaluation, continues to be problematic for many organisations. The lack of an integrated and methodical approach to the problem, as well as the fragmented research done to date on the effective measurement of IT-business-value, amplified the need for this study. The main objective of this study was to propose a new, more comprehensive model of the dimensions constituting IT-business-value, as well as related measures. The resultant ITIEM model dimensions were designed into a practical and holistic ITIEM methodology, intended to aid practice with: * Demonstrating how IT investments can enable measurable IT business-value * Determining which IT investments will yield the most IT-business-value for the organisation; and * Ensuring that IT investments and business initiatives support each The study has also endeavoured to contribute to the growth of knowledge by raising new problems, mapping out a program for future research on ITIEM, and putting 1 "Dimensions" refers to "groupings" of IT-business-value measures. forward a benefits framework that is verifiable by empirical observation, with the use of both case studies as well as action research. The study design includes: 1) A literature survey to identify the dimensions of IT-business-value, to identify the measures of IT-business-value, and to identify a candidate starting ITIEM methodology that is most comprehensive, addressing the most relevant measures of IT-business-value. This information is used to produce a draft case study protocol. 2) A single, exploratory pilot case study of a South African bank and a resultant revised case study protocol. 3) A cross-case analysis of a multiple case study of five South African banks (including the pilot) yielding a draft ITIEM model. 4) A cross-case analysis of three Australian banks, further enhancing the draft ITIEM model; and a cross-country comparison of the South African and Australian banks. The multiple case studies within South Africa and within Australia represent literal replications, while the cross-country comparison represents theoretical replication. 5) The existing ITIEM methodology selected in (1) is revised to reflect the draft ITIEM model and a new hybrid ITIEM methodology is proposed. 6) This hybrid ITIEM methodology is implemented and revised with action research resulting in the final ITIEM methodology and final ITIEM model.