Geographies of ageing literature recognises the emotional qualities of ageing. However, an historical tendency to overly medicalise ageing means research often focuses on the emotions associated with specific events such as the emotions involved in living with health-related conditions, being a carer, or being cared for in different settings. There remains a paucity of research that attends to the everyday, mundane emotions of being old. This research attends to this lacuna by drawing on theoretical frames emerging from post-humanism and emotional geographies. Specifically, this research engages with the spatial organisation of emotions as it pertains to an increasingly significant element of ageing: the role of communication technology in older people's ability to create and maintain new modes of (techno)sociability. Drawing upon 29 qualitative interviews and 13 cultural probe follow up responses with retired Londoners aged 59 to 89 years, this research examines how technology connects bodies to objects, people to people and (re)connects older adults to place in new and unexpected ways. Among this participant group diverse, highly individualised and complex amalgams of communication technologies were used. Each mode of communication technology was deployed using intricate strategies of selection and implementation, based on varying temporalities and spatialities, enhancing the ability of participants to relate emotionally with others. Technology use in this regard enabled the portability and emotional continuity of social networks, as communication was no longer tied to certain physical spaces. These findings are theoretically significant as emotions are increasingly seen to have a direct impact on the spatial construction of society through shaping human capacities and behaviours, which form the world around us. Work in this domain has been limited with certain emotions and bodies being more readily researched, and affiliated with particular gendered and sexualised bodies, bodily capacities, physical forms and social identities than others. This research is able to offer an understanding not currently present in geographical literatures, and offer new modes of spatial analysis that take into account the pervasive but differentiated use of technology.

Actualmente el uso de tecnologías de información es fundamental como soporte de las decisiones estratégicas y operacionales en las empresas. La presente investigación tiene como objetivo identificar y analizar los principales factores que influyen en la adopción de las Tecnologías de información en las PYMES del sector de muebles de madera ubicados en el Parque Industrial de Villa El Salvador (PIVES). Este estudio describe en primera instancia, la situación actual de las PYMES en el Perú y el nivel de competitividad relacionada al uso de Tecnologías de la Información y Comunicación (TIC) como una base previa para contextualizar la investigación. La metodología desarrollada en la investigación fue de carácter mixto. Se utilizó el método de estudio de enfoque cualitativo como las entrevistas a profundidad realizadas a especialistas de CITEMADERA, entidad estatal dedicada al desarrollo del sector madera. Asimismo, para el desarrollo del método cuantitativo se realizó un cuestionario a los responsables de 60 PYMES de sector madera del PIVES. El resultado obtenido en la validación de la hipótesis planteada, pues nos indica la necesidad del cumplimiento de ciertos factores mínimos (Gestión administrativa, capacitación e infraestructura tecnológica) para una buena implementación de las TICs en las PYMES estudiadas. / Currently, the use of information technologies is fundamental as a support for strategic and operational measures in companies. The objective of this research is to identify and analyze the main factors that influence the adoption of Information Technologies in PYMES in the wood furniture sector of the “Parque Industrial Villa El Salvador (PIVES)”. This study describes the first instance, the current situation of SMEs in Peru and the level of competitiveness related to the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) as a prior basis to contextualize research. The methodology developed in the research was mixed. The qualitative approach study method was used, such as the interviews and the depth of CITEMADERA, the state entity dedicated to the development of the wood sector. Likewise, for the development of the quantitative method a questionnaire was carried out to the heads of 60 SMEs of the PIVES wood sector. The result obtained in the validation of the proposed hypothesis, since it indicates the need for compliance with certain minimum factors (administrative management, training and technological infrastructure) for a good implementation of ICTs in the SMEs studied. / Tesis

Hispanics now constitute the largest ethnic minority group in the U.S. As the country’s fastest growing demographic, social welfare and public health professionals should focus on ameliorating health issues affecting this population. However, Hispanics continue to experience health disparities including high rates of HIV infection. Moreover, South Florida, is home to two counties with the highest per capita incidence of HIV in the U.S. Risks for HIV are heightened in college settings where individuals may have multiple partners and inconsistent condom use. As such, Hispanic college students in a minority serving institution in Miami, FL comprise an ideal group for the implementation of targeted prevention efforts to decrease health disparities related to HIV. This dissertation evaluated the implementation of an HIV prevention effort that utilized social media based technologies to engage Hispanic college students in HIV prevention conversations and services. This dissertation (1) evaluated the effectiveness of exposure to a social media based campaign using an experimental design and (2) provided a systematic review of the campaign’s content and user interactivity. Participants were recruited from students electing to receive free HIV testing on-campus as part of a SAMHSA-funded project. Hispanic young adults (ages 18-24 years) completed baseline and follow-up assessments—reporting demographic and background characteristics as well as perceptions and incorporation of HIV preventive behaviors. Participants were randomized to social media exposure (n=30) or control (n=30) conditions. The exposure condition received three updates per week in the form of social media post updates. Follow-up assessments occurred 4 weeks after HIV testing. Mixed ANOVA and logistic regression analysis were used to examine the impact of exposure over time by comparing mean scores of baseline and follow-up responses between conditions. This dissertation examined the following outcomes: awareness of HIV testing and prevention services, confidence of using condoms, perceived benefits of using condoms, and frequency of reported protected sex acts. While analyses revealed no statistically significant differences between groups, McNemar’s test results indicated a statistically significant increase in awareness of HIV prevention services on the university campus for participants in both study conditions (p< .001). These exploratory results indicate further research is needed to determine the effectiveness of social media based strategies and how such technologies should be harnessed to achieve HIV prevention goals.

This research examines the relationship between the use of communication technologies offered by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the religiosity of its young adult members by studying how young adult Latter-day Saints use the communication technologies offered by the Church, whether those communication technologies support or enhance the faith of those members, and what effects communication technologies have on religious beliefs or behaviors. Online survey results and follow-up interview responses indicate that with the exception of social media, active young adult members are utilizing the religious communication technologies offered by the Church, and they do so primarily to support and enhance their own religiosity. The ease of access to scripture and Church publications facilitates gospel learning and study, and the most common communication technologies used for this purpose are LDS.org, the official website of the Church, and the LDS Gospel Library for mobile devices. An overview of the communication technologies the Church offers is provided, and a discussion of Church direction regarding technology is given. / text

The purpose of this research is to explore Thailand teachers’ perspectives towards the integration of ICTs into the teaching and learning process in order to better understand how teachers use technology for classroom instruction and their perceptions of the factors that influence their use of ICTs. The study applied Interactive Qualitative Analysis (IQA) approach to draw a systems thinking of teachers and to provide in-depth perspectives of teachers about their implementation of ICTs in the classroom. Eighteen computer teachers and twenty-two mathematics teachers participated in a focus group interview. Fifteen computer teachers and fourteen mathematics teachers were invited to participate in an individual interview. Results from the data analysis based on the IQA approach showed that teachers’ perspectives on their integration of ICTs encompassed several components including School management and administration, Content and curriculum, Teacher, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), Student, Environment, Time, and Parent or guardian. The results also revealed a systems thinking of teachers that showed the interrelationships of the affinities. The statistical analysis comparing the perceptions of two teachers groups showed that there was only one affinity, which was “Student”, found to be significantly different at the .049 level. This could be because of difference in teacher perceptions of students. For other affinities, the results showed that both groups of teachers did not perceive their work experiences in a significantly different way. / text

African countries have recently experienced an extraordinary and largely unanticipated boom in the uptake of mobile phones, and increasing rates of access to the internet. This thesis investigates how and why these information and communication technologies (ICT) are being adopted for use in Tanzanian micro and small enterprises (MSEs), and explores the changes they are bringing about to the existing business culture of marginalised economies. The study covers three sub-sectors of the Tanzanian economy: perishable foodstuffs trading, the informal construction industry and the export of African blackwood carvings. The analysis is based on fieldwork undertaken over a total of 15 months in 2002 and 2003, during which time business networks were revealed by physically following entrepreneurs and their contacts operating in different locations throughout the country. Entrepreneurs were asked to draw their own comparisons between the traditional pre-ICT situation and the improved ICT access of today. The discussion is informed by the findings of semi-structured interviews with these individuals, excerpts of which are presented in the text to give voice to the entrepreneurs. Various ingenious and at times unconventional methods of access to, and appropriation of, ICT is uncovered. Together these suggest that official indicators underestimate the thirst for digital consumption, especially for mobile phones, and help explain the flourishing informal economy of handset acquisition. Internet penetration and uptake for use in business, on the other hand, is revealed to be far slower. Nevertheless, the research does reveal that a sizeable amount of poorer entrepreneurs are using a triumvirate of hired or shared ICT – mobile phones, the Internet and the ‘old’ ICT of fax – to create what can appear to be a more formal enterprise than it may actually be. The ‘mobile office’ effectively allows poorer entrepreneurs to operate without premises, thereby saving costs on rent and allowing the enterprise to remain informal. This heralds a considerable change in the working practices of a significant branch of informal sector operators who have gone unnoticed, and calls for a reconstruction and redefinition of this crucial source of entrepreneurship in developing economies. Despite the huge uptake of mobile phones in particular, the work also cautions that some traditional pre-ICT aspects of the African business culture look set to remain for some time. It becomes clear that where entrepreneurs do decide to use ICT, reputation and recommendation are still very significant. This information is usually passed on when an entrepreneur meets in person with contacts from his very fluid informal networks of knowledge. Trust, and the need for direct, personal interaction through face-to-face contact – one of the most pervasive features of African MSE economies – emerge as a common theme across the case study industries and are likely to remain a crucial aspect of the way most MSE business is conducted. Mobile phones are seen to play a crucial role in improving the exchange of supply-anddemand information domestically, while a combination of applications (particularly e-mail) appear to act as tools with which to refresh relationships with sources of market information outside the country. It is suggested that ICT may be able to help entrepreneurs in moving from the personal to the impersonal exchange – a challenge that many other African businesses will also have to come to terms with as the Internet becomes an ever more important global trading tool.

Information and communication  technologies  (ICTs)  are  having a great  capability to face some challenges in both developed as well as developing countries which includes providing access,  cost  effective  and  high  quality  health  care  services.  Telemedicine  uses  ICT  to overcome  geographical   barriers,  and  increase  access  to  health  care  services.  This  is particularly beneficial for rural and underserved communities in India. This paper focuses on the rising profile of e-health on the international policy agenda and related developments  in the  National  Health Service. Few developments  in public health today create energy and opportunity present in the word "e-health". As a developing country, India is implementing the technology to deliver health information and services regarding health widely across the country. These solution  though promising also present new challenges particularly in acceptable standards, choice of technologies, overcoming traditional jurisdictional boundaries, investment, privacy and confidentiality.   In this study, examine current state of telemedicine in a developing country, India. Telemedicine has brought several benefits to the people of India, especially those living in rural and remote areas. Discussed the Indian telemedicine implementation case of Apollo Hospital and Chakrajmal village, consolidate lessons learned from cases, and culminate with potential researchable critical success factors that account for the growth and modest successes  of telemedicine  in India. This  research will  discuss  how e-health  provides the opportunity for patients to maintain longer independence and for the providers to monitor    a condition more closely. It also describes barriers and challenges for current status of e­- health. Also, an attempt is made for presenting future e-health status in Indian scenario. Further,some  recommendations  are provided for  improvement.

Η διπλωματική εργασία αφορά την εισαγωγή των Τεχνολογιών Πληροφορικής και Επικοινωνιών (ΤΠ&Ε) στα ελληνικά νοσοκομεία και αποτελείται από ένα θεωρητικό και ένα πρακτικό κομμάτι. Στο θεωρητικό τμήμα γίνεται μια αναφορά στις τεχνολογίες της πληροφορικής και των τηλεπικοινωνιών, αναλύεται ο τρόπος λειτουργίας των νοσοκομείων, παρουσιάζονται τα προβλήματα που αντιμετώπιζαν και σε μεγάλο ποσοστό συνεχίζουν να αντιμετωπίζουν και τέλος παρουσιάζεται συγκεκριμένα η χρήση των ΤΠ&Ε στον τομέα της υγείας. Στο πρακτικό μέρος της εργασίας, στο οποίο πραγματοποιήθηκε έρευνα στο νοσοκομείο Πατρών "Αγ. Ανδρέας", μέσα από τη μέθοδο του ερωτηματολογίου αναδεικνύονται έμπρακτα τα προβλήματα που ανακύπτουν από την εφαρμογή ή τη μη εφαρμογή των ΤΠ&Ε, οι γνώσεις του προσωπικού πάνω στις τεχνολογίες , οι τρόποι εκπαίδευσης, οι τυχόν ελλείψεις που υπάρχουν και τέλος σε ποιο βαθμό υπάρχουν εφαρμογές της ηλεκτρονικής υγείας. / The thesis concerns the introduction of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in Greek hospitals and consists of a theoretical and a practicalpart. The theoretical part is a reference to information technologies and telecommunications, analyzing the operation of hospitals, presented the problems encountered and in a large proportion continue to face, and then presents the specific use of ICTs in health. In practical work, in which a survey was held in the hospital of Patras "Aghios Andreas", through the method of the questionnaire highlight the practical problems arising from the application or non application of ICTs, knowledge of staff on the technologies, education methods, any deficiencies exist and last to what extent there are e-Health applications

This research investigates the linkages that exist between climate change impacts, adaptation and information and communication technologies (ICTs) within developing country livelihoods. The analysis is based on an original conceptual framework that explores the notion of 'e-resilience' as a key property through which ICTs may strengthen the capacity of vulnerable systems to adapt and potentially transform in the face of increasing climate change impacts and uncertainty. By drawing key principles from the sustainable livelihoods framework, new institutionalism and Sen's capabilities approach, and based on a critical realist view of the world, the research provides a novel approach to the understanding of ICTs' role in contexts vulnerable to climate change. Based on the experience of Colombia's coffee producers, the analysis demonstrates that ICTs can contribute to the ability of vulnerable livelihoods to adapt to the impacts of climate change and variability through improved short-term informational efficiency and knowledge sharing, and long-term decision-making effectiveness, capacity building and behavioural change. The analysis explores the main factors that enable or constrain ICTs' contribution to the implementation of adaptive actions, arguing that the extent and impact of those contributions are best understood through the concept of e-resilience. As an increasingly relevant property of vulnerable systems, e-resilience integrates foundational (robustness, self-organisation and learning) and enabling attributes (redundancy, rapidity, scale, flexibility, diversity and equality) that may have been overlooked from a traditional 'asset-based' approach, while allowing a systemic (multi-scale/multi-temporal/multi-stressor) understanding of the context within which developing country stakeholders operate. The research findings reveal numerous linkages between ICTs' role and resilience building, suggesting that the e-resilience sub-properties strengthen the ability of vulnerable systems to enact adaptation actions, and better cope with the process of change and increasing uncertainty associated with (but not limited to) climate change. The analysis shows that, while ICT tools have not been explicitly integrated into national or sectoral climate change adaptation strategies, they are playing an increasing role in the adaptive capacity and resilience of developing country livelihoods. The study concludes by recognising the strengths and weaknesses of the e-resilience approach, providing recommendations to facilitate its use in development practice and suggesting key areas for future research.

South Africa’s rural communities have received Information and Communication Technologies services through initiatives such as tele-centres, living labs, Thusong service centres and donations of computer applications. There is need, with little plans in place to ensure that the rural communities will benefit from those initiatives. As a result of this, it is necessary to establish a framework for implementing Information and Communication Technologies for development initiatives in order to ensure successful implementation of these initiatives in rural communities. Literature shows that in order to successfully implement an ICT initiative for rural communities, there should be active engagement with ICT stakeholders, consultation of Information and Communication Technologies policies, presence of ICT infrastructure, ICT services, monitoring, evaluating, training and maintenance. Current literature on ICT developments shows that in order to successfully implement an ICT initiative for rural communities, there should be active engagement with ICT stakeholders, consultation of ICT policies, and presence of ICT infrastructure, ICT services, monitoring, evaluating, training and maintenance. Unstructured interviews were used as a research method to collect primary data that was used as a basis to develop the proposed framework. Findings from the studies carried out indicated that several ICT4D initiatives which were abandoned due to challenges such lack of proper resources, trainings, lack of local content, access, lack of ownership and lack of stakeholders’ involvement. This study presents a framework for implementing ICT for development initiatives in rural communities which has been developed in order to reduce the number of initiatives that are abandoned or which end up not serving their intended purpose in rural communities of South Africa.