Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 1992. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 165-174).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Texas, May, 2007. / Title from title page display. Includes bibliographical references.

Identifying, examining, and understanding faculty members’ technological knowledge development and the process of technology adoption in higher education is a multifaceted process. Past studies have used Rogers (1995, 2003) diffusion of innovation theoretical framework to delineate the technology adoption process. These studies, however, have frequently reported the influencing factors based on the statistical analysis such as regression analysis-based approach, and have not focused on the emerging process of technology adoptions or the developing process of technological knowledge and pedagogical knowledge. A mixed method study was designed to see how faculty members acquire different technologies and develop technological knowledge that might help them adopt technologies in their classrooms and online using different pedagogies. A sample of STEM teaching faculty members with different ranks, tenure, teaching experience, and varied degree of experience in the use of educational technologies participated in the study. A survey was designed to identify internal and external factors affecting technology adoption and its effective use in different teaching activities. To elaborate survey results, the study also included class observations as well as pre- and post-observation interviews. Online classrooms used by the faculty via Blackboard learning management system, online flipped classrooms, or other websites such as Piazza were also examined for data triangulation. The findings of the study indicate that faculty members are influenced by their own professional motivations and student learning to improve their teaching methods and to enhance student interactions and learning through the use of different educational technologies. The adoption process was identified as spreading over a period of time and it looked at how faculty members’ developed their technological knowledge and pedagogical knowledge. With the recognition of the social, organizational, and professional motivational factors both expert faculty members, university administrators, and technologist could be made aware of the critical components necessary to construct and support a bottom-up or user-centric successful innovation adoption decision process. The bottom-up approach would use expert professors as change agents and educational designers that would encourage exchanges and meaningful dialogues about educational technology adoptions and effective uses of technology with pedagogy within each discipline and department.

Orientador: José Maria Ferreira Jardim da Silveira / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Economia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-22T16:09:53Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Gimenez_AndreBerto_M.pdf: 6538718 bytes, checksum: 8947deab35b9fc85db728bf1b3d945f2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013 / Resumo: Este estudo insere-se na temática da evolução tecnológica da agroindústria canavieira. Este setor tem ganhado relevância conforme aumentam seu leque de produtos e a demanda por estes e conforme ele consolida-se como parcela crescente da matriz energética do país. Tendo estas perspectivas em vista, grandes esforços de pesquisa têm sido despendidos focados nas necessidades e potenciais do setor. Uma vez que estes esforços resultem em inovações, será relevante entender a dinâmica e os determinantes da difusão de inovações na agroindústria canavieira. Neste contexto, propõe-se elaborar e utilizar um modelo de simulação baseado em agentes para organizar, explicitar e testar hipóteses acerca dos determinantes do processo de difusão de nova tecnologia de extração de sacarose. Observa-se a competição entre duas tecnologias alternativas, uma baseada em ternos de moendas e outra baseada em difusores. A primeira, disponível há séculos, mantém-se, no período estudado, dominante sobre a segunda, adaptada da produção de açúcar de beterraba há poucas décadas. Pretende-se, com este estudo, contribuir ao entendimento dos determinantes do processo de difusão de tecnologias no setor. Os resultados obtidos pela simulação indicam que as hipóteses não foram capazes de replicar o fenômeno observado. Isso se mostra útil ao objetivo final da pesquisa conduzida, tendo em vista que o conhecimento adquirido no desenvolvimento do modelo e no estudo de seus resultados foi relevante no balizamento de estudos futuros para aprimorar essas hipóteses. A principal direção apontada pelos resultados é para o estudo da estrutura de modularidade do processo produtivo e de seu impacto nos processos de difusão de tecnologia na agroindústria canavieira / Abstract: This study relates to the question of the diffusion technologies in the sugar-cane agroindustry. This sector gains relevance as its range of products increases, its demands grows and it settles as a relevant part of the national energy sources. With this in sight, there have been great research efforts aiming at the needs and potentials of this sector. Once these efforts result in innovations, it will be relevant to understand the dynamics and determinants of innovation diffusion in sugar-cane agroindustry. In this context, the development and use of an agent-based simulation model as a tool for organizing, explicitly stating and testing hypothesis about the determinants of the diffusion process of new technology of sucrose extraction is proposed. The competition between two technologies, one based on press rolls and the other on diffusers, is observed. The first, available for centuries, holds, throughout the studied period, dominant over the second, adapted from the beetroot sugar production a few decades ago. This study aims, with this, at contributing to the understanding of the determinants of the process of diffusion of technologies in this sector. The results obtained from the simulations show that the hypothesis was not enough to replicate the observed phenomena. This proves useful to the established aim of this research, given that the knowledge developed by the building of the model and the analysis of its results was relevant in the identification of good future research on diffusion of technologies in the sector. The main path to be studied shown by the results of this research is the modularity structure of the production process and its impact on the diffusion of new technologies processes on the sugar-cane agroindustry / Mestrado / Ciências Economicas / Mestre em Ciências Econômicas

Orientador: Dirceu da Silva / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Educação / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-18T20:19:03Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Gabriel_MarceloLuizDiasdaSilva_D.pdf: 1390694 bytes, checksum: 538fbaf73e19ce9029ef14635f0ee4c7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Resumo: Esta Tese de Doutorado refere-se a uma pesquisa exploratória de natureza quantitativa cujo objetivo fundamental foi identificar as relações de causalidade existentes entre o processo decisório dos estudantes universitários em relação a tecnologia e seu uso cotidiano de tecnologia, seu estilo comportamental inovador e seu perfil de adoção. A partir da revisão da literatura foi elaborado um instrumento de pesquisa, na forma de um questionário estruturado, com assertivas dispostas na forma de uma escala do tipo Likert foi aplicado a alunos de cursos de graduação do Estado de São Paulo. Os 707 questionários recebidos foram tabulados e analisados por meio de técnicas estatísticas multivariadas, sendo a modelagem de equações estruturais PLS-PM (Partial Least Squares - Path Model) utilizada como parte da Análise Fatorial Confirmatória. Verificou-se que a relação causal entre os construtos exógenos OTE e ECI em relação ao construto PAD apresentou resultados que demonstram a aderência dos dados amostrais ao modelo causal proposto. Do mesmo modo os resultados da relação causal entre o construto exógeno PAD em relação aos construtos RNE, BIN e AVA, que formam o ciclo do processo decisório do indivíduo, demonstram aderência da amostra ao modelo proposto. / Abstract: This doctoral thesis refers to an exploratory quantitative research whose primary goal was to identify the causal relationships between the decision making process of university students on technology and its everyday use of technology, innovative style and behavioral profile of adoption. From the review of existing literature a research instrument was prepared in the form of a structured questionnaire, with assertions arranged as a Likert scale. This instrument was administered to undergraduate students of São Paulo. The 707 questionnaires received were tabulated and analyzed using statistical techniques, and structural equation modeling, PLS PM (Partial Least Squares - Path Model) was used as part of Confirmatory Factor Analysis. It was found that the causal relationship between the exogenous constructs ECI and OTE in relation to construct PAD showed results that demonstrate the adherence of the sample data to the proposed causal model. Similarly the results of the causal relationship between the exogenous construct PAD in relation to the constructs RNE, BIN and AVA, which form the cycle of decisionmaking process of the individual, at the sample level also demonstrates adherence to the model. / Doutorado / Educação, Ciencia e Tecnologia / Doutor em Educação

O XBRL, desde a sua criação em 1998, vem sendo discutido como uma evolução tecnológica para auxiliar na análise e tratamento das informações contábeis e financeiras. Entretanto, essa nova tecnologia não foi completamente incorporada por todos os reguladores nacionais, preparadores e usuários da informação. Desta forma, o objetivo principal desse trabalho consistiu em investigar os obstáculos do processo de implementação do XBRL no Brasil, utilizando como base a teoria da difusão de inovações, proposta por Rogers. Segundo a teoria da adoção e difusão de inovações (Rogers, 2003), os usuários e os vários grupos internos de uma organização assumem papel importante no processo do uso dos sistemas de informação, pois se estes, efetivamente não utilizarem os sistemas implantados, os benefícios potenciais dos sistemas não serão obtidos e sua taxa de adoção não variará com o passar do tempo. Os quatro elementos principais que influenciam a propagação de uma nova ideia são: a inovação, os canais de comunicação, tempo e um sistema social. Estes elementos funcionam em conjunto e a difusão é o processo pelo qual uma inovação é comunicada através de certos canais ao longo do tempo entre os membros de um sistema social. Para investigar os desafios na implementação do XBRL, utilizando a teoria de difusão de inovações, foi realizada uma pesquisa qualitativa, por meio de entrevistas semiestruturadas com profissionais que possuíam conhecimento em XBRL no Brasil e no mundo. Para análise das entrevistas, optou-se pelo método de Análise de Conteúdo com a categorização semântica seguindo as etapas da teoria da difusão de inovações. Os resultados apontaram que a inovação, no caso o XBRL, é de conhecimento das instituições, entretanto, os benefícios, tais como padronização e comparabilidade, ainda não foram alcançados. Como principais barreiras à implementação do XBRL pode-se destacar a questão cultural, o custo de implantação, a disputa de forças nas empresas entre as áreas operacionais e de tecnologia da informação, a escassez de capital humano com conhecimento sobre o tema, impacto tecnológico, processo de convencimento dos envolvidos e o respectivo tempo. Os canais de comunicação para a divulgação do XBRL no Brasil ainda são restritos, sendo o principal fórum para discussão do tema o CONTECSI, promovido anualmente pelo laboratório TECSI da FEA/USP. A criação de uma jurisdição no país não é obrigatória, mas ajudaria no processo de divulgação do XBRL e na manutenção da taxonomia. Com relação ao tempo de implantação do XBRL, sua taxa de adoção e o sistema social, os entrevistados internacionais mencionaram que o tempo médio da implantação do XBRL é de 3 (três) a 5 (cinco) anos, onde o governo e os reguladores são ou deveriam ser os grandes propulsores do XBRL, e a adoção voluntária do XBRL somente funciona por um período de tempo, sendo que após esse período a adoção necessariamente deverá ser obrigatória. / XBRL, since its creation in 1998, has been discussed as a technological evolution to assist in the analysis and treatment of financial information. However, this new technology has not been fully incorporated by all regulators, preparers and information users. The aim of this study was to investigate the obstacles to the XBRL implementation process in Brazil, following the diffusion of innovations theory proposed by Rogers. According to this theory (Rogers, 2003), users and various internal groups within an organization play an important role in the use of information systems processes. However, whether they are not activity, the potential benefits of the systems will not be obtained and their adoption rate will not increase over time. The four main elements that influence the dissemination of a new idea are: innovation, communication channels, time and social system. These elements work with each other and diffusion is the process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over time among the members of a social system. To investigate the challenges in the implementation of XBRL, using the diffusion of innovations theory, qualitative research was undertaken through semi-structured interviews with professionals with expertise in XBRL in Brazil and the world. To analyze the interviews, the method of content analysis with semantic categorization was adopted, following the steps provided this theory. The results indicated that stakeholders are familiar with XBRL, however, the benefits, such as standardization and comparability, have not been achieved yet. Major barriers to implementation of XBRL are the cultural question, the cost of deployment, the battle of the wills between business unit and information technology areas, the lack of knowledge on the subject, the technological impact and time involved. Communication channels for the dissemination of XBRL in Brazil are still limited, CONTECSI has been the principal forum for the discussion of this subject, sponsored annually by the TECSI FEA / USP laboratory. The creation of a jurisdiction in the country is not mandatory, but it would help in the dissemination of the XBRL process and the maintenance of the taxonomy. Regarding implementation time, its rate of adoption and the social system, international specialists have stated that the average deployment time of XBRL is from 3 (three) to 5 (five) years, where the government and the regulators are the major driving force for XBRL. The voluntary adoption of XBRL only works for a period of time, and after that period the adoption would have to become obligatory.

[pt] Desde seu surgimento no Brasil, em 1990, os celulares apresentaram notável rapidez em sua expansão, superando os telefones fixos em 2003 e chegando a 54 milhões de linhas em meados de 2004. Esta dissertação analisa o processo de difusão da telefonia celular no Brasil e tem como objetivos (a) compreender como se deu este processo e (b) encontrar fatores econômicos, tecnológicos e decisões de negócio que possam tê- lo influenciado. O processo de difusão é baseado na teoria epidêmica de difusão de inovações e são revisados e discutidos os modelos de difusão de inovações mais utilizados na literatura. A análise dos dados se dá por meio de técnicas de regressão não lineares e lineares. Os resultados da pesquisa mostram que o processo de difusão dos celulares no Brasil pode ser adequadamente representado por um modelo epidêmico de difusão de inovações que indica que o crescimento está próximo de seu ponto de inflexão, onde inicia a desaceleração a caminho da maturidade. Finalmente, a pesquisa evidencia que a competição, os investimentos em marketing, as tarifas e a inovação foram os fatores que aceleraram a velocidade o processo de difusão da telefonia celular no Brasil. / [en] Since its appearance in Brasil, in 1990, the mobile phones showed a remarkably fast expansion, exceeding the number of fixed phones in 2003 and reaching 54 million of active subscribers in the middle of 2004. This dissertation analyses the process of diffusion of mobile telephony in Brasil and its objectives are (a) to understand how this process happened and (b) to find economic, technology or business decisions that may have influenced it. The diffusion process is based in epidemic theory of diffusion of innovations and this study analyses and discusses the most popular models of diffusion of innovations found in the literature. The data is analyzed by nonlinear and linear regression and the results of the research show that the process of diffusion of mobile phones in Brazil can be fitted in an epidemic innovation diffusion model which indicates that the growth is close to its inflexion point, where it began to slow down towards maturity. Finally, the research shows that competition, marketing expenses, tariffs and innovation were the factors that accelerated the speed of the diffusion of mobile telephony in Brasil.

National culture has a significant influence on how innovations are adopted and diffuse throughout society. Existing innovation literature often employ Hofstede’s cultural difference dimensions to predict technology diffusion, which is critical to international marketers who are interested in tapping into this region. However, whilst Hofstede initially clustered the Arab nations into one region, past works have failed to compare and predict the diffusion of innovations amongst the Middle East and North African (MENA) nations. To address this research gap and to challenge Hofstede’s assumption of the MENA region as one cultural homogenous group, this study proposes to 1) measure the cultural differences of the seven nations, including Kuwait, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Iraq, Libya, and Lebanon within the MENA region and 2) explore the relationship between national culture and the diffusion of innovations amongst the seven countries. Using Hofstede’s latest national culture instrument, the Value Survey Model 2013 (VSM13), 775 survey data is collected from university students based in the seven nations to obtain new national cultural profiles on six dimensions, which are power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism, indulgent versus restraint, long-term orientation and masculinity femininity index. Empirical evidence shows that all seven nations differ significantly on each of Hofstede’s national culture dimensions, particularly on the power distance, uncertainty avoidance, indulgent versus restraint, and long term orientation dimension. The Bass Model is employed to estimate each of the seven nation’s diffusion patterns based on their mobile subscription data, and then correlated with their national culture ranks along with other variables such as socioeconomic indicators and telecommunication sector specific variables. The findings indicate that out of the six national culture indices, only the power distance index, indulgent versus restraint, long term orientation, and uncertainty avoidance dimensions show significant correlations with the innovation and imitations levels on the national level, suggesting that these particular cultural scales can effect and limit the innovation levels and the speed of the diffusion process of innovations. Results also indicate that literacy rate and urbanization are significantly correlated with the speed of the diffusion process and imitation levels on the national level. This research sheds new light on cross national diffusion literature by empirically revealing the innovative and imitative profiles of seven Arab States that were previously underrepresented and untested. The present study also provides fresh insights into the diffusion and national culture relationship by analysing the MENA region, which presents a theoretical contribution to cross cultural diffusion studies by advancing our understanding of the process by which Hofstede’s dimensions are associated with innovative and imitative levels. International marketing managers are thus advised to adopt a waterfall strategy when approaching the MENA region, in which innovative countries, such as Kuwait, are first targeted for introducing innovative products and services, through mass media and advertising. Whilst imitative countries, such as Egypt, are targeted for last entry, with a marketing communication plan that utilizes brand ambassadors and influencers, so as to reduce the risk and uncertainty of the innovation in question.

[pt] Dois anos e meio desde o lançamento da TV digital no Brasil, a penetração desta tecnologia é ainda muito pequena. Dos principais benefícios oferecidos pela TV digital para os dispositivos fixos (aparelhos televisores), apenas a alta definição (HDTV – high definition television) está disponível em escala comercial, sendo atualmente o principal apelo para a adoção da tecnologia digital. No Brasil, o consumo de conteúdo em alta definição tem se dado principalmente pelos assinantes de TV paga, grupo formado basicamente por domicílios de renda familiar elevada. Para aumentar o entendimento dos estímulos e barreiras à adoção da TV por assinatura em alta definição no Brasil, conduziu-se, à luz da teoria de difusão de inovações, quinze entrevistas com pessoas de domicílios com renda elevada. Em seguida, realizou-se um levantamento de dados, com amostra de conveniência de assinantes de TV paga que não tinham pacotes em alta definição, investigando-se a relação entre as percepções dos atributos da alta definição e a intenção de adotar um pacote em HD. Os resultados apresentam evidências de que recursos percebidos, custo/benefício do conteúdo disponível em HD, percepção de vantagem relativa, posse de televisores preparados para alta definição e frequência de idas ao cinema são relevantemente relacionados à intenção de adoção de um serviço de TV por assinatura em alta definição. / [en] Two and a half years since the launch of digital TV in Brazil, the penetration of this technology is still very small. Among the main beneficts offered by digital TV to fixed devices (TV sets), only high definition television (HDTV) is available on a commercial scale, being nowadays the main appeal to the adoption of digital technology. In Brazil, the consumption of high definition content has occurred mainly by Pay TV subscribers, a group formed basicly by high-income households. To increase the understanding of the stimulus and barriers to adoption of high-definition Pay TV in Brazil, fifteen interviews with people from high-income households were conducted, under the light of diffusion of innovations theory. Afterwards, a survey was made with a convenience sample of Pay TV subscribers without subscription of HDTV services, investigating the relationship between the perceptions of high-definition attributes and the adoption intent of HDTV services. Results showed evidence that perceived resources, cost-benefit of content available in HD, perception of relative advantage, ownership of HD television sets and frequency of moviegoing are relevantly related to adoption intent of high-definition Pay TV services.

This research examines the integration of electronic book (e-book) technology within an academic library. The University of Ottawa library is explored as a qualitative case study. The perceptions of use and communication pertaining to e-book adoption from the perspectives of students, faculty members, and librarians are combined with other documentation to provide a comprehensive examination of the case. Rogers (1962; 2003) Diffusion of Innovations provides the theoretical framework to guide the study and structure its analysis. Main findings revealed the following: (1) participants preferred print books, (2) inadequate communication occurred between students, faculty members, and librarians, and (3) information literacy training initiatives were insufficiently standardized. This study contributes to communication research by examining adoption of e-book technology and the spread of ideas within a social environment. It also furthers Diffusion of Innovations by confirming that even when individuals acknowledge advantages of a communication technology, it is not necessarily adopted.