<p>Consistent with the paradigm of evidence informed decision making we assume that research findings are integrated into health services practice and policy. However, there is a gap betweeen research findings and usual practice. Collaborative research, where researchers are encouraged to partner with decision makers to conduct mutually agreed and relevant research, may facilitate prompt utilization of new findings. My study explored decision makers’ experiences of collaborative teams executing federally funded health research. The principles of interpretive description were used to guide sampling, data collection, and analysis. A purposeful sample of 27 decision makers, collaborating on Partnerships for Health System Improvement (PHSI) projects funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, participated in two in-depth interviews. Conventional content analysis was used to identify concepts. The conceptual framework was developed inductively from the descriptive data and provided a structure for interpreting decision maker perspectives. The framework posits an explanation leading to contextual understanding of their experiences. This study describes factors affecting PHSI engagement that include: availability of new funding; positive history with the researcher; prospect of tangible benefits to constituents of decision makers; desire to contribute to research that informs health services programs and policies; capacity building; and knowledge creation. The partnership process is facilitated by fostering connections; identifying required skills and competencies; maintaining a sustainable focus of inquiry; clarifying roles and responsibilities; cultivating a nurturing learning environment. My findings will inform decision makers, researchers, and funding agencies about the experience and legacy of collaborative research partnerships.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

Strategiska beslut är viktiga för företag eftersom det handlar om att skapa framtida konkurrenskraft eller för att överleva på marknaden. Enligt tidigare studier finns det två olika beslutssituationer som företag kan stå inför vilka är offensiva beslut där det handlar om att öka företagets marknadsandelar och defensiva beslut som innebär att företaget skär ner på nuvarande kapacitet. I de tidigare studierna skriver forskarna att det finns hård (numerisk) och mjuk (åsikter, visioner, idéer och känslor) information som beslut kan grundas på. Syftet med denna studie är att skapa en förståelse för hur hård och mjuk information används vid strategiska beslut genom att identifiera offensiva och defensiva beslutssituationer. Vidare syftar studien till att analysera hur kunskaperna om medel och mål hos staben i ett privatägt företag inom vård- och omsorgsbranschen initierar användningen av hård och mjuk information vid olika faser i beslutsprocessen. Denna studie gjordes genom en fallstudie som bygger på semi-strukturerade intervjuer med kvalitativa inslag. Fallföretaget är verksamt inom vård och omsorgsbranschen och har en stab som består av fyra medlemmar vilka ansvarar för de strategiska besluten. Resultaten i denna studie visar att kunskaperna om medel och mål hos fallföretagets stab initierade användningen av mjuk information vid alla faser i beslutsprocessen i offensiva och defensiva beslutssituationer. Resultaten visar också att hård information användes i mittersta fasen i beslutsprocessen för att legitimera stabmedlemmarnas argument. / Strategic decisions are important for companies because it is about creating future competitiveness or for surviving in the market. According to previous studies, there are two different decision situations that companies can face which are offensive decisions that involve increasing the company's market shares and defensive decisions which implies that the company reduces their current capacity. In the previous studies, the researchers mention that there is hard (numerical) and soft (opinions, visions, ideas and emotions) information that decisions can be based on. The purpose of this study is to create an understanding of how hard and soft information is used in strategic decisions by identifying offensive and defensive decision situations. Furthermore, the study aims to analyze how the knowledge of means and goals of the staff in a privately-owned company in the health and care sector initiates the use of hard and soft information at different phases in the decision-making process. This study was done through a case study based on semi-structured interviews with qualitative elements. The case company operates in the healthcare industry and has a staff consisting of four members who are responsible for the strategic decisions. The results of this study show the knowledge of the means and goals of the case company staff initiated the use of soft information at all stages of the decision-making process in offensive and defensive decision situations. The results also show that hard information was used in the middle phase of the decision-making process to legitimize the staff members' arguments.

<p>This study seeks to understand and examine the role of public policy units with a specific focus on the South African National Parliament Policy Management Unit (PMU). The problem being investigated is that of a lack of constructive support and debate in understanding the role and functions of policy management units. Thus, the scope of the study is limited to policy management units with the South African Parliament PMU as a special reference. The primary objective of this study is to investigate the role of policy management units, with particular reference to the PMU in the South African Parliament. The secondary objectives will then be to provide a theoretical perspective of the role and functions of policy management units / and to develop a case of the PMU in Parliament for further analysis and examination. Examples of existing policy units and the support they have with parliaments will be produced, assessed, and explored.</p>

<p>This study seeks to understand and examine the role of public policy units with a specific focus on the South African National Parliament Policy Management Unit (PMU). The problem being investigated is that of a lack of constructive support and debate in understanding the role and functions of policy management units. Thus, the scope of the study is limited to policy management units with the South African Parliament PMU as a special reference. The primary objective of this study is to investigate the role of policy management units, with particular reference to the PMU in the South African Parliament. The secondary objectives will then be to provide a theoretical perspective of the role and functions of policy management units / and to develop a case of the PMU in Parliament for further analysis and examination. Examples of existing policy units and the support they have with parliaments will be produced, assessed, and explored.</p>

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

Magister Administrationis - MAdmin / This study seeks to understand and examine the role of public policy units with a specific focus on the South African National Parliament Policy Management Unit (PMU). The problem being investigated is that of a lack of constructive support and debate in understanding the role and functions of policy management units. Thus, the scope of the study is limited to policy management units with the South African Parliament PMU as a special reference. The primary objective of this study is to investigate the role of policy management units, with particular reference to the PMU in the South African Parliament. The secondary objectives will then be to provide a theoretical perspective of the role and functions of policy management units; and to develop a case of the PMU in Parliament for further analysis and examination. Examples of existing policy units and the support they have with parliaments will be produced, assessed, and explored. / South Africa

Prospektteorin presenterades av Kahneman och Tversky år 1979. Teorin förklarar hur beslutsfattande sker under risk. Kahneman belönades år 2002 med Alfred Nobels Ekonomipris för sitt arbete inom beslutsfattande, riskbedömning och rationalitet. Hans forskning nådde den breda massan med boken Tänka, snabbt och långsamt. Sedan boken släpptes år 2011 har den getts ut i över 30 länder och utsågs till en av årets bästa böcker av The Wall Street Journal, The Economist och The New York Times. Studiens syfte var att med hjälp av prospektteorin förklara hur investerare fattar beslut om hållbara investeringar under risk inom den svenska gruvindustrin. För att uppnå syftet identifierades investerares uppfattning av konsekvenser i svenska gruvföretag. Studien utfördes genom att låta investerare bedöma konsekvenser utifrån ett flertal scenarier och sedan fatta beslut om en hållbar investering. På så sätt erhålls en djupare förståelse för hur beslut fattas under risk. Den kvalitativa empiriinsamlingen gjordes i två steg. En inledande intervju gjordes för att fånga respondenternas uppfattning om gruvindustrins risker och potentiella konsekvenser. Därefter utformades med grund i prospektteorin och tidigare studier ett flertal scenarier samt ett mätinstrument för att analysera resultatet. Resultatet bekräftar att investerares beslutsfattande inom den svenska gruvindustrin påverkas i enlighet med prospektteorins grundantaganden kring beslutsfattande under risk. Det visade även att den finansiella risken var avgörande i majoriteten av besluten. Att testa konsekvensernas påverkan på besluten utifrån givna scenarion har bidragit med en fördjupad förståelse för investerares uppfattning om risk inom den svenska gruvindustrin utifrån prospektteorin. / Prospect theory was presented by Kahneman and Tversky in 1979. The theory explains how decision-making takes place under risk. In 2002, Kahneman was awarded the Alfred Nobel Finance Prize for his work in decision making, risk assessment and rationality. His research reached the broad mass with the book Thinking, fast and slow. Since the book was released in 2011, it has been published in over 30 countries and was voted one of the best books of the year by The Wall Street Journal, The Economist and The New York Times. The purpose of the study was to explain how investors make decisions about sustainable investments under risk with the help of prospect theory. To achieve this purpose, investors' perceptions of the consequences in Swedish mining companies were identified. The study was conducted by allowing investors to assess the consequences based on several scenarios and then decide on a sustainable investment. In this way, a deeper understanding of how decisions are made under risk is obtained. The qualitative empirical data collection was done in two steps. An initial interview was conducted to capture respondents' perceptions of the mining industry's risks and potential consequences. Subsequently, based on prospect theory and previous studies, several scenarios and a measuring instrument were developed to analyze the results. The result confirms that investors' decision-making in the Swedish mining industry is affected in accordance with the prospect theory's basic assumptions about decision-making under risk. It also showed that the financial risk was decisive in most decisions. Testing the impact of the consequences on decisions based on given scenarios has contributed to a deeper understanding of investors' perceptions of risk in the Swedish mining industry based on prospect theory.

Syftet med studien var att undersöka beslutsfattares uppfattning om hälsofrämjande arbete inom hälso- och sjukvården i Region Dalarna. Metoden för den kvalitativa studiens datainsamling var intervjuer. Sex stycken semi-strukturerade intervjuer med beslutsfattare på politisk nivå genomfördes. Data analyserades för att hitta mönster och koder med hjälp av tematisk analys. Huvudresultatet visade att beslutsfattare uppfattade hälsofrämjande arbete som något mer än den hälsofrämjande hälso- och sjukvård som ska ske gentemot patienter och de hälsofrämjande förutsättningar som ska ges till hälso- och sjukvårdspersonal. Utan även som ett arbete som kan ske i övriga samhällssektorer, framför allt riktat mot barn, unga och äldre. Beslutsfattarna uppfattade att det finns försvårande faktorer, framför allt för att skapa de förutsättningar som behövs på politisk nivå för att föra in hälsofrämjande arbete i hälso- och sjukvården. Samtidigt ansåg de att det på sikt kan finnas desto fler möjligheter. Den tydligaste slutsatsen av studieresultatet var att beslutsfattarna uppfattade hälsofrämjande arbete både som komplext och varierat, vilket kan försvåra enighet i beslut. Trots att uppfattningen var att det fanns flera framtida möjligheter med hälsofrämjande arbete så begränsades dess prioritering i praktiken av ett antal svårlösta utmaningar. Vidare forskning behövs. / The purpose with this study was to investigate decision makers' perception of health promotion within health care in Region Dalarna. In this qualitative study the chosen method of data collection was interviews. Specifically, six semi-structured interviews with decision makers at the political level were conducted. The interviews data was analyzed thematically to find relevant patterns, which were then coded. The main findings showed that decision makers perceived health promotion as something that involves sectors both within and outside health care, and they emphasized in the latter, health promotion in childcare, schools and elderly care. The decision makers perceived that there are aggravating factors, above all, in order to create the optimal conditions needed at the political level to incorporate health-promotion work in the health care system. At the same time, they believed that in the long term there will be even more opportunities to work with health promotion. The clearest conclusion drawn from this study is that decision makers' perception of health promotion can be complex and varied, which can hamper consensus in decision making. Although there were perceived to be several future opportunities with health promotion, evaluating and incorporating such opportunities can often be hindered by political and bureaucratic decision-making processes.

This thesis investigates large private companies in Sweden that have outsourced their information technology (IT). A considerable proportion of IT outsourcing (ITO) is unsuccessful. For IT service buyers, this could cause IT that does not fully work, entailing problems with the network, application, infrastructure and security, with serious consequences such as a loss of customers’ confidence and significantly increased costs. Therefore, the main research goal was to analyse and define ways to improve ITO for buyer organizations. This main research goal was accomplished through three research goals that are the followings: 1) To develop a method for risk assessment in IT outsourcing; 2) To identify the important factors in IT outsourcing relationship; and 3) To identify the success factors in IT outsourcing.                       The research strategies applied in conducting this research were design science research and survey research. To achieve the first research goal, a method was developed for assessing the ITO risks, including support for mitigating these risks. This method could help both researchers and practitioners in estimating the ITO risks and in this way improve ITO. An application based on the developed method was used to facilitate the testing of this method by several ITO decision makers in large companies concerning its usability, correctness and functionality. Moreover, a study was performed to explore ITO decision makers’ acceptance of the developed method and their use of it for assessing the ITO risks.             The second research goal investigated how to improve service buyers’ ITO relationship with their providers. A well-working ITO relationship is a critical determinant of successful ITO and is relevant to the whole ITO life cycle. This research goal was achieved by identifying and analysing the most important factors in ITO relationships, including a prioritized list of those factors that are highly recommended for use in creating and maintaining a good ITO relationship.                       The third research goal examined how to improve ITO by identifying and prioritizing the success factors (SFs) in ITO. This research identified the ITO SFs in large companies and provided a prioritized list of them to be applied in these companies with a description of the value that they could create from implementation during the ITO life cycle. Moreover, the SFs identified in large companies were compared with those identified in medium-sized companies, which could give an indication to the researchers in this field that company size matters in regard to the implementation order of the identified SFs.               In summary, the research presented in this thesis contributes with: 1) a method for assessing the risks of outsourcing IT and, in the case that IT has been outsourced, suggested ways to mitigate them; 2) the important factors that could improve ITO relationships and 3) a prioritized list of success factors that could improve IT outsourcing. / Denna avhandling undersöker stora privata företag i Sverige som har outsourcat sin IT verksamhet. Som vi uppmärksammade har en stor del av IT-outsourcingen (ITO) misslyckats. För köparen av IT-tjänsten kan det leda till bristande IT funktionalitet med allvarliga konsekvenser som i värsta fall leder till förlorade kunder och betydande kostnadsökningar. Därför är det övergripande forskningsmålet är att analysera och fastställa hur ITO:n för köparen av IT tjänsten kan förbättras. För att lösa det övergripande forskningsmålet forskningen undersökte: 1) Utvecklingen av en metod för att bedöma riskerna med IT-outsourcing; 2) Identifiering av de viktiga faktorerna inom IT-outsourcingsrelationer; och 3) Identifiering av en lista över framgångsfaktorer i IT-outsourcing. De använda forskningsstrategierna för att genomföra forskningen var ”design science research" och kartläggning. För att uppnå först huvudforskningsmålet, har en metod tagits fram för att bedöma riskerna och vägleda hur man kan minska dem. Den här metoden kan hjälpa både forskare och de som utövar IT-outsourcing med att bedöma ITO-riskerna och på så sätt förbättra sina IT-outsourcing.  En programvara baserad på den metoden har utvecklats för att underlätta testningen av metoden vilket har genomförts med IT beslutsfattare på stora organisationer, beträffande användbarhet, korrekthet och funktionalitet. Dessutom har en studie utförts för att bedöma om programvaran kan accepteras av IT beslutsfattare och få reda på om de skulle använda metoden för att bedöma ITO riskerna. Det andra forskningsmålet har undersökt hur köparna av den outsourcade IT-tjänsten kan förbättra relationen med sina leverantörer. En bra ITO-relation är en avgörande faktor för en framgångsrik ITO och den är viktig för hela livscykeln. Forskningsmålet har uppnåtts genom analys för att hitta de viktigaste faktorerna ITO-relationsfaktorer, som studien rekommenderar för att skapa och underhålla en bra ITO relation. Det tredje forskningsmålet har undersökt hur ITO kan förbättras genom att identifiera och prioritera framgångsfaktorerna i ITO. Studien har identifierat framgångsfaktorerna i stora företag och tagit fram en lista med prioriterade framgångsfaktorer som bör implementeras i de undersökta företagen. Dessutom så har nyttan av dessa framgångsfaktorer beskrivits under ITO livscykeln. Dessutom har de identifierade framgångsfaktorerna från stora företag jämförts med framgångsfaktorerna som har identifierats för medelstora företag. Denna jämförelse ger en indikation till forskarna på det här området att prioriteringen av framgångsfaktorerna är beroende av företagsstorlek. Sammanfattningsvis, den beskrivna forskningen i den här uppsatsen bidrar med: 1) En metod för att bedöma risker och förslag på hur minska dessa risker; 2) En lista med de viktiga faktorerna för att förbättra ITO relationen inom IT-outsourcing och; 3) En prioriterad lista av framgångsfaktorer som kan förbättra IT outsourcing.