The question of context in architecture theory has become more complex and controversial as globalization, urbanisation and resource scarcity have added yet more layers to the debate (O’Donnell 2016:380). As these aspects increasingly enter every facet of our lives, its effect on architecture has resulted in a development approach that is exploitative of people, nature and culture (Fioramonti 2017:3). This study argues that working with scarcity in a productive manner could lead to an alternative approach for development. A critical look at the continuum of architectural discourse and its engagement with issues of context will place the debate in a broad historical context which ranges from theories posed by Vitruvius to current theories on the vernacular, to establish the role of the architect as an enabler of social space. An in-depth context analysis of the spatial logics found in Mamelodi East (City of Tshwane, South Africa) will consider the spatial relationship and rules of engagement that allow certain patterns of living and public exchange to emerge. This paper argues that there are key lessons to be learnt from this logic because of the way in which people are resolving daily problems under the construction of scarcity. Till (2014:9) argues that scarcity will become an inevitable feature of modern life. However, these limits will not lead to the end of design or an emasculated version of it, but will rather open up new fields in which the designer may operate. The strength thus lies in defining a response to a vernacular through its understanding of scarcity and the rules of engagement in which new roles and opportunities through architecture can emerge. / Konteks in argitektuurteorie word meer kompleks en kontroversieel soos globalisering, verstedeliking en hulpbronskaarste meer lae by die debat voeg (O’Donnell 2016: 380). Namate hierdie aspekte elke faset van ons lewe betree, lei dit tot ‘n ontwikkelingsbenadering wat die uitbuiting van mense, natuur en kultuur tot gevolg het (Fioramonti 2017: 3). Hierdie studie is van mening dat die produktiewe omgang met skaarste, ‘n alternatiewe benadering tot ontwikkeling kan wees. ‘n Kritiese ontleding van argitektoniese diskoers en die dissipline se betrokkenheid by kontekstuele kwessies plaas die debat in ‘n breë historiese konteks - van Vitrivius tot die hedendaagse teorieë - om sodoende die rol van die argitek as ‘n fasiliteerder van sosiale ruimte te identifiseer. ‘n In-diepte konteksanalise van die ruimtelike logika van Mamelodi- Oos (Tshwane, Suid-Afrika), sal die verhouding en onderliggende reëls vir sosiale en ruimtelike interaksie ontleed. Dit is hierdie verhouding wat sekere lewenstylpatrone en sosiale interaksie moontlik maak. Hierdie studie beweer dat daar belangrike lesse uit hierdie logika geleer kan word, omdat mense, temidde van die skaarste aan hulpbronne, hulle daaglikse probleme oplos. Till (2014:9) beweer dat skaarsheid ‘n onvermydelike aspek van die moderne lewe sal word. Hierdie beperkinge sal nie noodwendig tot die einde van ontwerp of ‘n magtelose weergawe daarvan lei nie, maar sal eerder nuwe uitdagings vir die ontwerper bied. Die waarde lê daarin om deur ‘n studie van die volkstaalargitektuur wat op die skaarsheid van hulpbronne en die reëls vir sosiale interaksie gebasseer is, nuwe rolle en geleenthede vir formele argitektuur te skep. / Mini Dissertation MArch(Prof)--University of Pretoria, 2018. / Architecture / MArch(Prof) / Unrestricted

ABSTRACT This paper describes the limitations of the housing policy in Botswana when dealing with poverty alleviation. Botswana is faced with high levels of poverty that does not conform to the country’s economic success since independence. Very few opportunities exist for the urban poor to earn a living and work themselves out of poverty. Efforts to address poverty in the past yielded mixed results and failed the urban poor more especially that the interventions were biased towards rural areas. Evidence has been provided that housing has a critical role to play in poverty alleviation. The Government of Botswana has put in place housing projects (one of which is used for this enquiry) through which poverty can be addressed alongside other human needs such as shelter. An enabling environment has to be created for the successful exploitation of housing for poverty alleviation. It is therefore imperative that the government ensures the existence of such an environment.

Despite potentially increased sales and operational efficiencies, a surprising number of firms have not adopted e-business. Annual surveys of e-business use in Canada and other Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries reveal significant differences in adoption rates between sectors. The surveys identify product characteristics as a key rationale for not adopting online selling. There are examples, however, of firms in all sectors that have discovered how to use online selling (i.e., through direct retailing, portals, online auctions - or other models). This research identifies the key internal capabilities that let firms implement online selling tools and reconfigure their way of doing business, by innovating their business model, to take advantage of e-business. Wheeler’s (2002) Net-Enabled Business Innovation Cycle (NEBIC) model is a theoretical framework for studying the process of implementing e-business tools as technology innovations for business growth where “net-enablement” refers to a firm’s innovative use of networks connected via information technologies. The NEBIC model suggests four sets of capabilities a firm needs to create value for its customers by utilizing technology: choosing enabling technologies, matching technology benefits with economic opportunities, executing business innovation for growth, and assessing customer value. The model is grounded in dynamic capability and absorptive capacity theories, offering an integrated way to adopt an e-business application, such as online selling, using internal capabilities that management can develop through planning, knowledge acquisition, training, and recruitment. This research is the first to operationalize the constructs in the NEBIC model and increase the understanding of the firm capabilities required to implement online selling as a technology innovation for business growth. The study also extends the NEBIC model by developing a construct to measure the innovation in business models firms need as they implement online selling tools. Data gathered from a national sample of Canadian firms are analyzed to test four hypotheses. These concern net-enablement capabilities, and the selection and implementation of online selling, together with the associated outcome of such innovation in terms of business model innovation. The overarching hypothesis is that firms that successfully select and implement online selling have better developed net-enablement capabilities. Further, those firms will innovate their business model. The research to test these hypotheses proceeded in two stages. First, exploratory research accessed both current literature and feedback from academic and professional experts to identify and develop scales and measurements for the net-enablement constructs of the research model. In the second empirical stage, these scales were used to measure capability development and business model innovation in a cross-section sample of Canadian firms. Responses to an online survey were analyzed to test the statistical properties of the scales, and structural equation modeling (SEM) assessed the hypothesized relationships between net-enablement capability for online selling and actual business model innovation. The research contributes to the literature on e-business adoption, and the application of dynamic capability and absorptive capability theories for technology adoption. In particular, it provides empirical support for Wheeler’s NEBIC model for e-business tools selection and implementation. The data confirm that firms with better-developed net-enablement capabilities are more likely to select and implement online selling tools successfully. The data also substantiate the view that online sellers have indeed innovated their business models to incorporate the practical tools of online selling. Practitioners considering extending their market through online sales are advised to assess their net-enablement capability first. The scales developed through this research provide a tool for identifying these important capabilities and routines within organizations. It is particularly important that firms looking to incorporate online selling should evaluate (and develop as necessary) their ability to access new technology; evaluate their strategic options and match them with the benefits of the proposed technology; handle, manage, and implement the project; and reconfigure elements of their business model, i.e., make changes to their product or service and its payment methods. Successful online sellers do not depend on a single factor; rather they develop “net-enablement” capability, a continuous and multi-faceted process of related capability sets that involve all parts of the organization.

Despite potentially increased sales and operational efficiencies, a surprising number of firms have not adopted e-business. Annual surveys of e-business use in Canada and other Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries reveal significant differences in adoption rates between sectors. The surveys identify product characteristics as a key rationale for not adopting online selling. There are examples, however, of firms in all sectors that have discovered how to use online selling (i.e., through direct retailing, portals, online auctions - or other models). This research identifies the key internal capabilities that let firms implement online selling tools and reconfigure their way of doing business, by innovating their business model, to take advantage of e-business. Wheeler’s (2002) Net-Enabled Business Innovation Cycle (NEBIC) model is a theoretical framework for studying the process of implementing e-business tools as technology innovations for business growth where “net-enablement” refers to a firm’s innovative use of networks connected via information technologies. The NEBIC model suggests four sets of capabilities a firm needs to create value for its customers by utilizing technology: choosing enabling technologies, matching technology benefits with economic opportunities, executing business innovation for growth, and assessing customer value. The model is grounded in dynamic capability and absorptive capacity theories, offering an integrated way to adopt an e-business application, such as online selling, using internal capabilities that management can develop through planning, knowledge acquisition, training, and recruitment. This research is the first to operationalize the constructs in the NEBIC model and increase the understanding of the firm capabilities required to implement online selling as a technology innovation for business growth. The study also extends the NEBIC model by developing a construct to measure the innovation in business models firms need as they implement online selling tools. Data gathered from a national sample of Canadian firms are analyzed to test four hypotheses. These concern net-enablement capabilities, and the selection and implementation of online selling, together with the associated outcome of such innovation in terms of business model innovation. The overarching hypothesis is that firms that successfully select and implement online selling have better developed net-enablement capabilities. Further, those firms will innovate their business model. The research to test these hypotheses proceeded in two stages. First, exploratory research accessed both current literature and feedback from academic and professional experts to identify and develop scales and measurements for the net-enablement constructs of the research model. In the second empirical stage, these scales were used to measure capability development and business model innovation in a cross-section sample of Canadian firms. Responses to an online survey were analyzed to test the statistical properties of the scales, and structural equation modeling (SEM) assessed the hypothesized relationships between net-enablement capability for online selling and actual business model innovation. The research contributes to the literature on e-business adoption, and the application of dynamic capability and absorptive capability theories for technology adoption. In particular, it provides empirical support for Wheeler’s NEBIC model for e-business tools selection and implementation. The data confirm that firms with better-developed net-enablement capabilities are more likely to select and implement online selling tools successfully. The data also substantiate the view that online sellers have indeed innovated their business models to incorporate the practical tools of online selling. Practitioners considering extending their market through online sales are advised to assess their net-enablement capability first. The scales developed through this research provide a tool for identifying these important capabilities and routines within organizations. It is particularly important that firms looking to incorporate online selling should evaluate (and develop as necessary) their ability to access new technology; evaluate their strategic options and match them with the benefits of the proposed technology; handle, manage, and implement the project; and reconfigure elements of their business model, i.e., make changes to their product or service and its payment methods. Successful online sellers do not depend on a single factor; rather they develop “net-enablement” capability, a continuous and multi-faceted process of related capability sets that involve all parts of the organization.

Natural disasters such as floods, droughts and storms cause many deaths and a great deal of damage worldwide. Recently, several countries have suffered from an the increased number of floods. This has led government agencies to seek to improve flood risk management by providing historical data obtained from stationary sensor networks to help communities that live in hazardous areas. However, the sensor networks can only help to check specific features (e.g. temperature and pressure), and are unable to contribute significantly to supplying the missing information that is required. In addition to stationary sensors, mobile sensors have also been used to monitor floods since they can provide images and reach distances that are not within the coverage of stationary sensors. By combining these heterogeneous sensors, an initiative called Sensor Web Enablement (SWE) seeks to free these applications from the idiosyncrasies that affect the implementation of these heterogeneous sensors. However, SWE cannot always be applied effectively in a context where sensors are embedded and removed dynamically. This dynamic context makes it a complex task to handle, control, access and discover sensors. In view of this, the aim of this work is to dynamically manage heterogeneous sensors involved in flood risk management in near real-time, by enabling interoperable access to their data and using open and reusable components. To achieve this goal, a service-oriented middleware was designed that contains a common protocol message, a dynamic sensor management component and a repository. This approach was evaluated performed by employing an application that prioritizes geographically social media messages based on sensor data. / Os desastres naturais, como inundações, secas e tempestades causam muitas mortes e danos em todo o mundo. Mais recentemente, alguns países sofreram com o aumento das inundações, comparado com outros tipos de desastres. Para melhor gerenciá-las, agências governamentais têm fornecido dados históricos de redes de sensores estáticas para ajudar comunidades que vivem em áreas de risco. No entanto, tais redes de sensores apenas ajudam a verificar propriedades específicas (por exemplo, temperatura e pressão) e pouco contribuem com a falta de informações presente nesse contexto. Além dos sensores estáticos, sensores móveis também têm sido utilizados para monitorar inundações, uma vez que podem fornecer imagens e alcançar distâncias onde sensores estáticos não funcionam adequadamente. Para combinar esses sensores, deve ser utilizado uma iniciativa chamada Sensor Web Enablement (SWE) que isola as aplicações das idiossíncrasias da implementação desses sensores heterogêneos. Entretanto, a SWE não gerencia completamente contextos em que sensores são inseridos e removidos dinamicamente. Este contexto dinâmico torna complexo o controle, o acesso e a descoberta de novos sensores. Logo, o objetivo deste trabalho é gerenciar dinamicamente e próximo do tempo-real sensores heterogêneos envolvidos na gestão de inundações, permitindo um acesso interoperável para seus dados usando componentes abertos e de re-uso. Para alcançar esse objetivo, um middleware orientado a serviços contendo um protocolo de mensagens comum, um componente de gerenciamento dinâmico de sensores e um repositório foi desenvolvido. A avaliação dessa abordagem foi feita considerando uma aplicação que prioriza geograficamente dados de mídias sociais baseados em dados de sensores.

Natural disasters such as floods, droughts and storms cause many deaths and a great deal of damage worldwide. Recently, several countries have suffered from an the increased number of floods. This has led government agencies to seek to improve flood risk management by providing historical data obtained from stationary sensor networks to help communities that live in hazardous areas. However, the sensor networks can only help to check specific features (e.g. temperature and pressure), and are unable to contribute significantly to supplying the missing information that is required. In addition to stationary sensors, mobile sensors have also been used to monitor floods since they can provide images and reach distances that are not within the coverage of stationary sensors. By combining these heterogeneous sensors, an initiative called Sensor Web Enablement (SWE) seeks to free these applications from the idiosyncrasies that affect the implementation of these heterogeneous sensors. However, SWE cannot always be applied effectively in a context where sensors are embedded and removed dynamically. This dynamic context makes it a complex task to handle, control, access and discover sensors. In view of this, the aim of this work is to dynamically manage heterogeneous sensors involved in flood risk management in near real-time, by enabling interoperable access to their data and using open and reusable components. To achieve this goal, a service-oriented middleware was designed that contains a common protocol message, a dynamic sensor management component and a repository. This approach was evaluated performed by employing an application that prioritizes geographically social media messages based on sensor data. / Os desastres naturais, como inundações, secas e tempestades causam muitas mortes e danos em todo o mundo. Mais recentemente, alguns países sofreram com o aumento das inundações, comparado com outros tipos de desastres. Para melhor gerenciá-las, agências governamentais têm fornecido dados históricos de redes de sensores estáticas para ajudar comunidades que vivem em áreas de risco. No entanto, tais redes de sensores apenas ajudam a verificar propriedades específicas (por exemplo, temperatura e pressão) e pouco contribuem com a falta de informações presente nesse contexto. Além dos sensores estáticos, sensores móveis também têm sido utilizados para monitorar inundações, uma vez que podem fornecer imagens e alcançar distâncias onde sensores estáticos não funcionam adequadamente. Para combinar esses sensores, deve ser utilizado uma iniciativa chamada Sensor Web Enablement (SWE) que isola as aplicações das idiossíncrasias da implementação desses sensores heterogêneos. Entretanto, a SWE não gerencia completamente contextos em que sensores são inseridos e removidos dinamicamente. Este contexto dinâmico torna complexo o controle, o acesso e a descoberta de novos sensores. Logo, o objetivo deste trabalho é gerenciar dinamicamente e próximo do tempo-real sensores heterogêneos envolvidos na gestão de inundações, permitindo um acesso interoperável para seus dados usando componentes abertos e de re-uso. Para alcançar esse objetivo, um middleware orientado a serviços contendo um protocolo de mensagens comum, um componente de gerenciamento dinâmico de sensores e um repositório foi desenvolvido. A avaliação dessa abordagem foi feita considerando uma aplicação que prioriza geograficamente dados de mídias sociais baseados em dados de sensores.

Sverige tar sedan 2018 emot 5 000 kvotflyktingar om året. De kommer direkt från tredje land och mottages av Sveriges kommuner direkt på flygplatsen. Mycket är annorlunda, inte minst den digitala nivån som möter dem i det nya samhället. Sverige siktar på att bli bäst i världen på digitalisering genom Vision e-hälsa 2025 med målsättningen om en god och jämlik hälsa. WHO understryker att digitalisering är avgörande för hälsolitteracitet. Folkhälsomyndigheten lyfter att utrikesfödda personer generellt har sämre hälsa och trycker på att det finns behov av att hitta vägar för att nå fler individer med hälsoinformation. 2020 publicerades en svensk intervjustudie som betonar behov av språk och kulturmedvetenhet. Digital hälso-sjukvård belyses inte närmare. Den här studiens syfte är att undersöka kommunala tjänstemäns erfarenheter av att arbeta med kvotflyktingar med avseende på kvotflyktingars kontakter med den svenska digitala hälso- och sjukvården. Den aktuella undersökningen är en kvalitativ studie med induktiv ansats. Analysmetod är innehållsanalys och semistrukturerade intervjuer har använts. Urvalet är strategiskt, sex kommunala tjänstemän från mindre och mellanstora kommuner i Västra Götaland har deltagit. Resultaten kopplas till tillgänglighet, empowerment och hälsolitteracitet samt digital literacy. I den här studien har det framkommit att kommunala tjänstemäns erfarenhet av kvotflyktingars kontakt med den digitala hälso- och sjukvården i Sverige består av både svårigheter och utmaningar liksom att det ses möjligheter och lösningar. Studiens forskningsfrågor har besvarats och sex kategorier presenteras; otillräcklig ansvarsfördelning, begränsad tillgänglighet, kvotflyktingars förutsättningar beaktas inte tillräckligt, kommunikation är avgörande, förståelse för lärprocess och avvägda stödfunktioner. / Since 2018, Sweden has received 5,000 quota refugees a year. They come directly from third countries and are received by Sweden's municipalities at the airport. Much is different, not least the digital level that meets them in the new society. Sweden aims to become the best country in the world at digitization through Vision e-health 2025 with the goal of good and equal health. The WHO emphasizes that digitization is crucial for health literacy. The Public Health Authority highlights that people born abroad generally have poorer health and stresses that there is a need to find ways to reach more individuals with health information. In 2020, a Swedish interview study was published that emphasizes the need for language and cultural awareness. Digital healthcare is not elucidated in more detail. The purpose of this study is to investigate municipal officials' experiences of working with quota refugees with respect to quota refugees' contacts with the Swedish digital health care.The current thesis is a qualitative study with an inductive approach. Analysis method is content analysis and semi-structured interviews have been used. The selection is strategic, six municipal officials from small and medium-sized municipalities in Västra Götaland have participated. The results are linked to enablement, empowerment, and health literacy as well as digital literacy. In this study, it has emerged that municipal officials' experience of quota refugees' contact with digital healthcare in Sweden consists of both difficulties and challenges, as well as opportunities and solutions being seen. The study's research questions have been answered and six categories are presented; insufficient division of responsibilities, limited availability, the conditions of quota refugees are not sufficiently considered, communication is crucial, understanding of the learning process and balanced support functions.

Rationale: Chronic diseases represent an important health burden that often involves major adaptations to manage the disease on a daily basis. Health professionals, such as the family physician, can help a person acquire more power over his or her health (enablement). While it would be useful to measure patient perception of enablement by the family doctor with a valid questionnaire, existing tools present important gaps. Aim and objectives: This study aimed at developing a self-administered questionnaire to measure the perception of patients with chronic diseases of enablement by their family physician. The objectives were: 1) To deepen the conceptualization of enablement by validating the proposed conceptual framework with patients presenting with chronic diseases and to specify the relative importance of its dimensions; 2) To operationalise the dimensions by proposing indicators of these dimensions (pool of items); 3) To verify the content validity of the questionnaire. Methods: An exploratory sequential mixed-method research design was chosen. The descriptive qualitative study (objectives 1 and 2) used in-depth interviews with 30 patients aged 35 to 75 presenting with at least one chronic disease, having the same family doctor for at least one year and recruited through maximum variation sampling. Taped interviews were transcribed and analyzed using Miles and Huberman's mixed coding method (2003a). A three-round e-Delphi study (objective 3) involved 15 Canadian experts in family medicine, able to read in French. The experts scored the items proposed on a 9-point scale (1 = Inappropriate to 9 = Very appropriate) and could suggest rewording and additions. Items scored 7-9 by the experts were considered consensual and were not presented in the following round. Items that were not consensual after the third round were decided upon by the team of researchers. Results: The partnership (the trusting relationship and decisions to be taken) that develops over time was found to be a major component of enablement. The enablement role of the physician goes beyond the medical consultation to defend the interests and safety of the patient's journey through the healthcare system. The trusting relationship combined with a good knowledge of the person may help the family physician better understand and legitimize the various feelings experienced while offering realistic hope . The family physician is in a privileged position to help patients develop their own expertise . Sixty-six items classified into six dimensions were submitted to the experts during the first round of the E-Delphi method. The first round was completed by 13 experts: 21 items were consensual; 25 items were resubmitted without any modification; 16 items were modified and four were rejected. Forty-one items were submitted during the second round, completed by 13 experts: eight items were consensual; 20 items were submitted without any modification; 12 items were modified and one item was rejected. Thirty-three items were submitted during the third round completed by nine experts: 29 items remained intact; three items were modified and one item was rejected. Conclusion: An initial 61-item questionnaire is proposed.

Thesis (M.Com. (Information Systems))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, School of Economic and Business Sciences, 2015 / Information technology (IT) governance, which embodies how organisations arrange and manage their IT assets, continues to be of interest to those involved in the research and practice of information systems (IS). Most of the interest is because of the positive relationship between IT governance and organisational performance. Organisations are increasing their IT expenditure, which results in increased expectations by stakeholders. Public sector organisations have also gradually recognised the importance of IT governance to successful implementation of mandates, but the research conducted globally to understand how IT governance is actually implemented in the public sector has been limited. A case study of ENTDEV (a public sector agency) was used to explore how IT governance implementation takes in a public sector organisation. The case study sought to understand how institutional influences (e.g. regulative, normative and cultural-cognitive) play a role in IT governance adoption and the selection of IT governance mechanisms, how IT governance implementation actually takes place and what IT outcomes are achieved as a result of the implementation - using institutional theory, IT governance mechanisms framework, and the IT outcomes framework, as lenses. The case study identified regulatory influences as playing a role in IT governance adoption, and also uncovered the role of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) as important. Normative and culture cognitive influences were seen as not playing a role at the IT governance adoption stage. Regulatory and normative influences and the CIO have an influence in the implementation of IT governance mechanisms. The skills and capacity of people involved in implementing IT governance mechanisms, together with the positioning and organisation’s perception of IT are some of the issues that impact on IT governance implementation. The study recognised cost effective use of IT and improved compliance as the immediate IT outcomes as a result of IT governance implementation. Strategy enablement outcomes are recognised over time. Informed by the empirical evidence and literature, a framework for IT governance implementation in public sector organisations is conceptualised as a contribution to theory. It is envisaged that the framework may be used by public sector institutions to improve their understanding of IT governance and subsequently improve how they implement IT governance.

Investment decision-making is a critical theme in entrepreneurial research. This study aims to explore how different types of investors are influenced by regulatory, political, economic, environmental, and societal changes following the rise of sustainable policies such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Grounded in the External Enablement Framework and employing a qualitative, multi-case methodology, this thesis identifies eight key factors that influence investor decisions in sustainable entrepreneurship. It finds that external enablers like regulatory and societal changes motivate investments, while inhibitors such as stringent regulations and economic crises deter them. Additionally, investor preferences are shaped by past experiences, personal ethics, and team authenticity. The findings provide organizations with valuable insights into the factors that influence investment decisions in sustainable entrepreneurial ventures. Investors can gain a better understanding of external factors and opportunities, entrepreneurs can identify key considerations and potential new areas for growth, and policymakers can develop more market-oriented policies and or regulations to support sustainable investment and entrepreneurship.