Focusing on the potential use of telemedicine among other efforts for better treatment of stroke patients, this study explored the role of telemedicine in the management of stroke patients and knowledge sharing among health care providers in Afghanistan. To this end, fourteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with physicians, specialists, neurologists, and decision makers from the Afghan Ministry of Public Health (MoPH). Actor-network and diffusion of innovations theories provided a theoretical framework for this exploratory qualitative study. The study was intended: 1) to find out about the major challenges and problems associated with managing stroke patients in Afghanistan; 2) to explore the perceptions of Afghan health professionals about the application of telemedicine as a means of improving the delivery of health services for stroke patients in Afghanistan; and 3) to understand the perceived barriers to knowledge sharing and to ascertain the potential role of telemedicine in knowledge sharing among health care providers in Afghanistan. The findings of this study demonstrated that almost all of the participants were optimistic about the potential positive role telemedicine could play in the management of stroke patients and knowledge sharing among health care providers in Afghanistan. Some important existing organisational, socio-economic, geographical, security, and cultural barriers to the management of stroke patients and knowledge sharing among health care providers in Afghanistan were revealed. To the best knowledge of the researcher, there has been no study of this kind conducted in Afghanistan yet; thus, the findings of this study will likely contribute to the development of health communication in the context of Afghanistan, and could likely be used as a resource for future research about the applications of telemedicine in various medical specialities.

This qualitative study explored the effects of intercultural differences on technology transfer interventions. More specifically, the emphasis was on key differences between the worldviews of change agents and clients that impact such change agentry attempts. Utilizing frameworks taken from intercultural relations, change agentry, and diffusion of innovations research, the study examined a single case of change agentry-the distribution of cookstoves to a rural community in Peru-in an attempt to answer the following question: How do intercultural differences help shape the results of change agentry interventions in technology transfer attempts? The focus of this study was the distribution of "improved cookstoves" in rural Andean, Peru, by a rural aid organization based at a university in Lima, Peru. Individuals from both the aid organization and the community were interviewed regarding their experience, including the engineering and technical team responsible for diffusing the technology, as well as community members who adopted the technology, others who did not, and a third group trained by the aid organization to be local "experts" in the use of cookstoves. The research contributes to a deeper understanding of the relationships between change agents and client recipients by contributing a,n intercultural perspective to discussions of the diffusion of innovations and development interventions.

The issue of homelessness is one that many cities and states in the United States have to contend with; however, the issue of homelessness on an island can be even more difficult to find viable solutions. The homeless problem on the island of O`ahu is one that affects not only residents but also tourists. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to reveal the perceptions of policy makers on the island of O`ahu, Hawai`i if diffusing public policy from Salt Lake City, Utah, would help ameliorate homelessness on the island. The theoretical framework was the diffusion theory and diffusions of innovation. These conceptual frameworks provided a lens to find viable solutions to reduce homelessness on O`ahu. Data was collected utilizing a triangulation process, whereas surveys were completed and collected from 18 policy makers, 3 knowledgeable sources were interviewed, and reports and articles from Salt Lake City and O`ahu were analyzed regarding homeless policies to ascertain whether diffusing policy would ameliorate homelessness on O`ahu. The data collected was then analyzed and hand coded to identify themes and patterns. Results indicated that affordable housing, a coordination of services, as well as a collaborative relationship with other organizations, would help with reducing homelessness on O`ahu. Furthermore, adopting policy from Salt Lake City would have to be adjusted for cultural issues of the population as well as a shortage of available land on O`ahu; however, the majority of the lawmakers found value in the plan implemented in Salt Lake City. The implications for positive social change are directed at informing policy makers about the necessity to diffuse policy from Salt Lake City to ameliorate homelessness on O`ahu.

Depuis la constitution de l’International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) en 2010 et la publication de son cadre de référence sur le reporting intégré (RI) en 2013, la diffusion de rapport intégré a connu une forte croissance à travers le monde. Malgré ses avantages et la présence de déterminants qui favorisent son adoption, le développement de cette nouvelle approche de reporting reste assez mitigé en France. Cette thèse s’intéresse à la diffusion, la mise en œuvre et à l’adoption du RI par les sociétés cotées françaises. Elle s’inscrit dans le cadre d’analyse de la théorie de la diffusion des innovations (TDI) de Rogers (2003) et couvre les concepts de complémentarité institutionnelle, de communauté collaborative et de normativité. Trois études empiriques, traitant pour chacune d’elle une dimension du processus de gestion d’une innovation managériale (diffusion, mise en œuvre et adoption) sont menées. Le premier article étudie comment les entreprises cotées françaises procèdent à l’intégration des questions relatives au développement durable dans leur rapport annuel pour se conformer aux dispositions règlementaires qui les obligent à inclure dans leur document de référence (DDR) les impacts sociaux et environnementaux de leurs activités. Sur la base d’une analyse de contenu de 279 documents de référence sur la période 2006-2014, nos constats montrent que l’ensemble des entreprises (100 %) ont mis en place des politiques pour gérer les aspects de gouvernance environnementale et sociale et que globalement, les DDR sont des rapports moyennement intégrés. Le deuxième article se focalise sur les pratiques internes des entreprises afin d'examiner les conditions d’implémentation du RI. Les constats issus d’une étude de cas unique montrent que la mise en œuvre du RI est un processus complexe et la réussite de cette entreprise pionnière est le fruit d’une construction sociale basée sur une compréhension commune de la nouvelle approche et une large adhésion des membres de l’organisation. Le troisième article se propose finalement d’analyser les attributs perçus de cette innovation qui ont une influence sur son adoption. Les constats faits à partir d’une étude de 4 cas multiples soulignent que la complexité et la faible compatibilité du cadre de l’IIRC avec les pratiques actuelles des entreprises créent de l’incertitude chez les entreprises adoptantes et doivent être surmontées à travers la gestion intégrée pour une routinisation de la nouvelle approche. L’ensemble de ces résultats contribue à la compréhension de la manière dont le RI est diffusé, mis en œuvre et adopté par les sociétés cotées françaises. / Le résumé en anglais n'a pas été communiqué par l'auteur.

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Many developing countries are ardently seeking ways to encourage greater computer usage. But results have been disappointing. The slow diffusion is partially attributed to social factors. This study, based on a survey of 187 professionals, examined the efficacy of opinion leadership approach in accelerating the acceptance of computers in Saudi Arabia. Findings indicate that the approach has promise. Opinion leaders, who express greater satisfaction with computers, can be crucial as change agents in helping to reduce anxieties and dissonant feelings towards computers. Marketing strategy implications of the findings are discussed.

Even though the e-book market is increasing, little research has been done on readers who are late adopters of e-books, and their resistance and scepticism to e-book adoption. The Swedish and Japanese e-book market have had similar adoption rates since 2010. However, even though their adoption rates resemble each other, how readers gain access to e-books differ in Sweden and Japan. Swedish readers use the library, and subscription services, while Japanese readers mostly use mobile apps that specializes in certain genres, such as manga or special mobile novels called keitai shousetsu.This study investigates the similarities and differences between late adopters of e-books in Sweden and Japan, with the use of the diffusion of innovation-theory by Everett Rogers (2003). Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted in spring 2017 with five Swedish and five Japanese respondents, all readers who had yet to adopt e-books. The analysis found that the main factors for the respondents’ choice to reject or resist e-book adoption are an emotional bond to the print format, and the reading experience. The factors were related to trust issues, and an uncertainty in how e-books would affect their personal lives as well as their social systems. There were few differences between the Swedish and Japanese respondents. The main difference was that the Swedish respondents would talk about books with people outside of their immediate family to a larger extent than the Japanese respondents.

This thesis is a report of an empirical investigation into the twin processes of adoption and rejection as they operate in the diffusion of a specific controversial technological innovation. The innovation, the aerial application of phenoxy herbicides, and its pattern of diffusion throughout the Alsea, Oregon area are examined. The processes involved are analyzed utilizing as a theoretical framework the Classical Diffusion of Innovation Model. This model is discussed in detail with particular attention being called to the social, economic, and political factors that contributed to its development and popularity. This specific model was utilized in this study for two purposes: (1) to systematically guide the attempt to understand and interpret important aspects of the controversy in the Alsea area, and (2) to ascertain the utility and flexibility of this perspective through hypothesis testing.

Traditional software development methodologies are historically used for the creation of software products in separate departments, namely development and operations departments. The development department typically codes and tests the software, whilst the operations department is responsible for its deployment. This siloed arrangement is not aligned to modern practices, which require a timeous response to changes without necessarily delaying the product release. DevOps culture addresses this silos problem by creating an enabling environment for the two departments to collaborate throughout the software development life cycle. The successful implementation of the DevOps culture should give an organisation a competitive advantage over its rivals by responding to changes much faster than when traditional methodologies are employed. However, there is no coherent framework on how organisations should implement DevOps culture. Hence, this study was aimed at developing a framework for the implementation of DevOps culture by identifying important factors that should be included in the framework. The literature survey revealed that open communication, roles and responsibility alignment, respect and trust are the main factors that constitute DevOps collaboration culture. The proposed framework was underpinned by the Information System Development Model which suggests that the acceptance of a new technology by software developers is influenced by social norm, organisational usefulness and perceived behavioural control. A sequential mixed method was used to survey and interview respondents from South Africa, which were selected using convenience and purposive sampling. Statistical analysis of the quantitative data acquired through the questionnaire followed by a qualitative analysis of interviews were undertaken. The results showed that open communication, respect and trust are the key success factors to be included in the framework. The role and responsibility factor was found not to be statistically significant. This study contributes towards the understanding of factors necessary for the acceptance of DevOps culture in a software development organisation. DevOps managers can use the results of this study to successfully adopt and implement DevOps culture. This study also contributes to the theoretical literature on software development by identifying factors that are important in the acceptance of DevOps collaboration culture. / School of Computing / Ph. D. (Computer Science)

Background. In order to deliver effective and efficient public health services, the best available research evidence should be considered when making public health decisions. The process of evidence-informed decision making (EIDM) involves searching for research evidence, appraising and synthesizing the high quality evidence, and adapting the evidence with consideration of local contextual factors and community preferences. For many public health departments achieving EIDM has been a challenge. Methods. This study aimed to learn how EIDM spread through interpersonal interactions within the health department of a provincial government in Canada. The health department was selected based on anecdotal evidence suggesting that ideas of EIDM had diffused within this department. Employees were invited to participate in an electronic survey about their interactions regarding EIDM. The data collected from this survey were analyzed using social network analysis methods. This helped to show how the interpersonal connections helped to spread the ideas of EIDM within the organization. Results. In this organization EIDM discussion occurred most often within the organizational divisions, whereas influence for EIDM often occurred both within and between divisions. The type of relationship that appeared most important in discussion of EIDM was colleague relationships, while supervisors were more important for encouraging use of EIDM. Furthermore, individuals in leadership positions within the organization were shown to have played an important role in the diffusion of EIDM. Limitations and Conclusions. Low participation resulted in a limited picture of the whole network of this organization. The use of social network analysis is a relatively novel approach for studying the diffusion of EIDM, and there are challenges to this approach that requires special consideration when working with organizations. / Thesis / Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)