Substantial step-wise advances and efficient work processes geared towards leveraging the modularization strategy to an optimal extent are needed in industry in order to maximize its potential benefit for capital projects because the industry suffers from low levels of application of the strategy. Due to this, this research focused on what changes to the traditional work processes within the industry as a whole and on individual projects are required. The ideas presented in this thesis seek to guide individual professionals and engineering organizations to create an optimal environment in which broader and more effective use of modularization can occur. / text

For decades, organizations have used information technology (IT) to support their operational and managerial work. However, the use of IT varies considerably from one firm to another. Successful IT implementation occurs when IT is diffused to all organizational members and is used to the fullest potential (infusion). Prior studies tested several IT infusion enablers. However, they did not yield statistically significant results. These studies hypothesized IT diffusion enablers as IT infusion enablers. The lack of existing literature on IT infusion made theory-testing research rarely yield a reasonable result. In addition, the definitions and measures of IT infusion offered by existing literature are not validated. This study aims to identify factors that contribute to the different levels of IT infusion in the context of spreadsheet use in small audit firms and to offer a definition and measure of IT infusion. While prior studies have discussed several enablers of IT infusion, they have typically proposed enablers of IT diffusion rather than IT infusion. IT infusion is defined in this study as the use of IT to its fullest potential within a particular industry. Three aspects of infusion were identified in the prior literature. First, IT infusion refers to IT use within and across different business processes (extended use). For example, spreadsheets can be used to help auditors plan an audit, analyze data, and later create an audit report. Second, IT infusion refers to IT use in ways that establish the work-flow linkages within the work process (integrative use). For example, spreadsheets can be used to record data and the data is carried over for analysis and reporting. Third, IT infusion refers to IT use in tasks that could not be performed without IT (emergent use). For example, spreadsheets can be used to perform statistical analysis which cannot be done manually. The mixed methods research approach was chosen in order to provide a better understanding of the under-researched area of infusion. Use of theory-building approach from cases is likely to produce theory that is accurate and testable. Case studies are used for identifying IT enablers in real business settings. Quantitative data is collected using the survey questionnaire approach. In the first phase, a series of case studies were used to explore the concept of IT infusion in the audit context. All seven case firms were independent audit firms in Thailand with less than 100 employees. The firms helped identify a number of enablers of spreadsheet infusion. This study found infrastructure flexibility and training to be critical infusion enablers at an early implementation stage. At later stages, an IT champion, certain psychological factors, and social networks were found to be more important. The new measure was proven to incorporate all important IT infusion dimensions and to yield a reasonable range of scores enabling a complex statistical analysis. The study also used a questionnaire survey to gather data on spreadsheet infusion from 203 audit firms in Thailand. Partial least squares (PLS) regression was used to test a research model that was based on the earlier case studies. The analysis confirmed the relationships among IT infusion enablers and the three pathways of use which formed the concept of IT infusion. Task variety, an IT champion, and routinization were found to be directly related to IT infusion. Infrastructure flexibility, social networks, and management support were also found to contribute to IT infusion through other enablers. It is recommended that future studies use the concept of task complexity when examining IT infusion. In addition, future studies should extend investigations on psychological factors of individuals that may affect organizational IT infusion.

The thesis focuses on the journey of women to management with focus on female managers in AVG Technologies. Thesis is focused mainly on the barriers and enablers women are facing during their careers. Theoretical part describes first the role of women in today's society, then the profile of a manager and lastly women in management. Practical part introduces the company AVG Technologies to the readers and describes the findings from the research conducted in the company with the female managers. Lastly recommendations are given to the company.

Considering the importance of routine execution within firm replication, exploring the balance between organisational routine development in terms of variations and routine constraints of this variation, with the goal of allowing for improvements without deviating too far from the original routine that makes it a success. Aim: Shed light onto how routine variations are managed in the face of the two extremes; no routine development at all and too much routine development. Methodology: This qualitative case study was conducted within two IKEA stores, the iconic furniture retailer from Älmhult, Sweden. The in-store goods flow process was the platform for the study. The study involved participant observation, as well as 13 (semi-structured) interviews with IKEA co-workers on operational and managerial level to identify mechanism for balancing drift in organisational routines. Findings: This study has developed a conceptual model visualizing a hierarchy of mechanisms composed by artifacts, embededdness and identity that IKEA stores use to curb drift in organisational routines.

This thesis presents an inductive, qualitative approach to exploring the connection between entrepreneurship and social movement theory in the context of the fitness movement. This was achieved by applying the External Enabler Framework for New Venture Creation which looks at how changes to the macro environment, such as sociocultural shifts, enable entrepreneurial processes by activating mechanisms on the venture level (Davidsson et al., 2020). A loop derived from social movement literature is implemented as a contribution to the framework that presents a perspective in which ventures not only are influenced by the social movement but also contribute to the movement's momentum. The loop was found to occur as ventures enlarge the scope of the social movement and thus change its characteristics. This insight provides two theoretical contributions. Firstly, the loop originating from social movement theory is better defined and explained. Secondly, the External Enabler Framework for New Venture Creation has been connected to the loop, which provides a more nuanced view of how social movements and ventures interrelate. This is deemed important since it helps us understand how social movements can grow with the influence of ventures and how this leads to the continuous enablement of new ventures.

No / There is considerable concern that patient involvement within health care research is tokenistic in nature. This has led to an increasing interest in the quality of patient involvement in research with active collaboration with patients and carers encouraged. In this paper, with specific reference to renal disease, the aim was to identify and explore the possible challenges that may arise from academic researchers collaborating with clinicians, patients and carers as part of the same project panel. The project panel consisted of the principal investigator, senior research fellow, research practitioner, a nephrology consultant, a cultural liaison officer, pre-dialysis, dialysis and transplant patients and also a carer. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with members of the panel. The main challenges identified included: ensuring the panel included patients from different modalities of renal disease and different social and cultural s, managing member expectations, conducting meetings, communication, financial constraints and patient anxiety. Enablers of the collaborative process were found to be: relevance to the research project, early involvement, previous experience with research, panel composition and flexibility. The study has clear practical implications for collaborative involvement of patients and carers in social and health care research.

The high prevalence of back and neck pain results in enormous social, psychological, and economic burden. Most seeking help for back or neck pain consult general practitioners or chiropractors. Chiropractic is a regulated health profession (serving approximately 10 – 15% of the population) that has contributed to the health and well-being of North Americans for over a century. Despite available evidence for optimal management of back and neck pain, poor adherences to guidelines and wide variations in services have been noted. For instance, overuse and misuse of imaging services have been reported in the chiropractic literature. Inappropriate use of spine imaging has a number of potential adverse outcomes, including inefficient and potentially inappropriate invasive diagnosis and subsequent treatment, and unnecessary patient exposure to ionizing radiation. Although evidence-based diagnostic imaging guidelines for spinal disorders are available, chiropractors are divided on whether these guidelines apply to them. While guidelines can encourage practitioners to conform to best practices and lead to improvements in care, reviews have demonstrated that dissemination of guidelines alone is rarely sufficient to optimise care. Evidence regarding effective methods to promote the uptake of guidelines is still lacking. There is growing acceptance that problem analysis and development of interventions to change practice should be guided by relevant theories and tailored to the target audience. To date, very little knowledge translation research has addressed research-practice gaps in chiropractic. This thesis reports rigorous methods to: (1) assess practice and providers’ characteristics, (2) determine baseline rates and variations in spine x-ray ordering, (3) evaluate the impact of disseminating guidelines to optimise spine x-ray ordering, and (4) assess determinants of spine x-ray ordering and potential targets for change prior to the design of a tailored intervention. A mixed method using two disciplinary perspectives (epidemiology and psychology) was undertaken. A cross-sectional analysis of administrative claims data was carried out on a sample of chiropractors enlisted in a large American provider network. Despite available clinical practice guidelines, wide geographical variations in x-ray use persist. Higher x-ray ordering rates were associated with practice location (Midwest and South US census regions), setting (urban, suburban), chiropractic school attended, male provider, employment, and years in practice. The impact of web-based guideline dissemination was evaluated over a five year period using interrupted time series and demonstrated a stepwise relative reduction of 5.3% in the use of x-rays. Passive guidelines dissemination appeared to be a simple, cost effective strategy in this setting to improve but not optimise x-ray ordering rates. Focus groups using the theoretical domains framework were conducted among Canadian and US chiropractors to explore their beliefs about managing back pain without x-rays. Findings were used to develop a theory-based survey to identify theoretical constructs predicting spine x-ray ordering practice. Psychological theories and theoretical constructs explained a significant portion of the variance in both behavioural simulation and intention. Results from this thesis provide an empirically-supported, theoretical basis to design quality improvement strategies to increase guidelines adherence and promote behaviour change in chiropractic. Other researchers interested in improving uptake of evidenced-based information could use this method in their own setting to investigate determinants of behaviour among other professional groups. Future research may use knowledge gained to inform the development and evaluation of a theory-based tailored intervention to improve guideline adherence and reduce the use of spine x-rays among targeted providers.

Academic enablers comprise a set of beliefs and skills that significantly contribute to student success. Although these skills are crucial to academic competence, gaps exist in the research related to the development of academic enablers. Namely, previous research has not investigated how these behaviors change over the kindergarten year. Moreover, there are inconsistent findings regarding the influence of experiences prior to entering kindergarten, specifically preschool attendance and the home learning environment, on the development of academic enablers in young students. Using a sample of 83 parent-child dyads, the present study investigated academic enablers in kindergarten students. A mixed between-within analysis of variance found that girls displayed greater academic enablers at the beginning of the kindergarten year, but neither gender demonstrated growth over the kindergarten year. Additionally, hierarchical multiple regression analyses were run to determine whether environmental factors predicted academic enablers at the beginning and end of kindergarten. Findings indicated the length of preschool experience did not predict adaptive academic enablers at the beginning of the kindergarten year or the end of the year, regardless of gender. Conversely, the home learning environment predicted kindergarten students' levels of academic enablers at the beginning of the year, such that those with educationally enriched home environments displayed higher levels of academic enablers, regardless of gender. This influence was not maintained over the kindergarten year. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

The validity of three key Business Excellence (BE) models used in the Asia Pacific—the Australian Business Excellence Framework (Australia), the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence (New Zealand) and the Singapore Quality Award Criteria (Singapore)—was examined from a conceptual as well as a predictive standpoint. Unlike in many past studies, in this study the validity of the measurement criteria stipulated in BE models have been directly assessed. The conceptual validity of the three BE models was studied through a generic theoretical model using the partial least squares-based structural equation modelling (PLSBSEM) method. Apart from measurement validity, the strengths of the hypothesised causal relationships between the constructs of the BE models and their practical implementations were also examined under conceptual validity. The predictive validity of the three BE models was examined through linear predictive models involving enablers—being measures in BE models that cover what organisations actually do in order to achieve business outcomes—as predictors and business outcomes as responses. Alongside predictive validity, the reasonableness of the stipulated weights of the enablers was also examined. Other empirical and pragmatic inquiries covered in this study included: (a) a study of the effect of “industry attractiveness” on financial and market performance, and (b) a study of the relationship between BE constructs and “national cultural dimensions”. Results revealed that although the three BE models fulfilled the basic requirements of measurement validity, against more stringent criteria such as those used in psychometrics, they showed low levels of validity. The possible reasons for this were examined and the ways of overcoming the shortcoming were suggested. The generic theoretical model was found to be statistically significant across all three settings: Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. As regards predictive validity, it was observed that enablers appear to be good predictors of business outcomes (thus establishing predictive validity) although there was scope for improvement of the existing weighting scheme of the enablers. This study is important because many organisations in the region use BE models with the expectation of improving their performance in key results areas and hence there is a need to demonstrate that the BE models are based on sound concepts.

<p> </p><p><strong><p>SAMMANFATTNING</p><strong><p>Inledning:</p></strong></strong>Trots gällande rekommendationer om minst 30 minuters fysisk aktivitet per dag är många människor inte tillräckligt fysiskt aktiva. Endast 30 procent av kvinnorna och 23 procent av männen motionerar två gånger per vecka. Tidigare studier visar på vilka hinder som finns för regelbunden motion, även möjliggörande faktorer har studerats men inte i samma utsträckning.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong><strong><p>Syfte:</p></strong><p> </p><p>Att beskriva faktorer som möjliggör motion hos vuxna på en hälsofrämjande nivå.</p><strong><strong><p>Metod:</p></strong><p> </p><p>Studien genomfördes som semistrukturerade intervjuer med sex personer. Intervjuerna analyserades med manifest innehållsanalys.</p><strong><strong><p>Resultat:</p></strong><p> </p><p>Fem subkategorier växte fram genom analys av det manifesta innehållet: "Har tidigare motionsvana", "Tillgång till socialt stöd", "Viktigt med tillgänglighet", "Önskan om självförbättring" och "Förmåga att prioritera träning". Dessa bildade sedan tre huvudkategorier "Tidigare motionsvana", "Yttre betingelser" samt "Inre betingelser".</p><strong><strong><p>Konklusion:</p></strong><p> </p><p>Att ha varit fysiskt aktiv som barn eller tonåring är av stor betydelse när det gäller förmågan att motionera regelbundet i vuxen ålder. Socialt stöd, framför allt i form av en förstående familj, och egen vilja är två andra viktiga faktorer som framkom i studien. Studiens resultat tyder på att en stor del av det hälsofrämjande arbetet bör läggas på barn och tonåringar i skola och på fritiden.</p></strong></strong></strong></strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong><p>SAMMANFATTNING</p><strong><p>Inledning:</p></strong><p> </p><p>Trots gällande rekommendationer om minst 30 minuters fysisk aktivitet per dag är många människor inte tillräckligt fysiskt aktiva. Endast 30 procent av kvinnorna och 23 procent av männen motionerar två gånger per vecka. Tidigare studier visar på vilka hinder som finns för regelbunden motion, även möjliggörande faktorer har studerats men inte i samma utsträckning.</p><strong><strong><p>Syfte:</p></strong><p> </p><p>Att beskriva faktorer som möjliggör motion hos vuxna på en hälsofrämjande nivå.</p><strong><strong><p>Metod:</p></strong><p> </p><p>Studien genomfördes som semistrukturerade intervjuer med sex personer. Intervjuerna analyserades med manifest innehållsanalys.</p><strong><strong><p>Resultat:</p></strong><p> </p><p>Fem subkategorier växte fram genom analys av det manifesta innehållet: "Har tidigare motionsvana", "Tillgång till socialt stöd", "Viktigt med tillgänglighet", "Önskan om självförbättring" och "Förmåga att prioritera träning". Dessa bildade sedan tre huvudkategorier "Tidigare motionsvana", "Yttre betingelser" samt "Inre betingelser".</p><strong><strong><p>Konklusion:</p></strong><p> </p><p>Att ha varit fysiskt aktiv som barn eller tonåring är av stor betydelse när det gäller förmågan att motionera regelbundet i vuxen ålder. Socialt stöd, framför allt i form av en förstående familj, och egen vilja är två andra viktiga faktorer som framkom i studien. Studiens resultat tyder på att en stor del av det hälsofrämjande arbetet bör läggas på barn och tonåringar i skola och på fritiden.</p></strong></strong></strong></strong></strong></p><p> </p> / <p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong><p>ABSTRACT</p><strong><p>Introduction:</p></strong><p> </p><p>Despite current recommendations of 30 minutes of daily physical activity many people are not physical active enough. Merely 30 percent of the women and 23 percent of the men exercise twice a week. Previous studies indicate barriers to exercise on a regular basis, facilitators have not been studied to the same extent.</p><strong><strong><p>Aim:</p></strong><p> </p><p>To describe factors that enable regular exercise for adults on a health promoting level.</p><strong><strong><p>Method:</p></strong><p> </p><p>The study was carried out as semi-structured interviews with six persons. The interviews were analysed recording to manifest content analysis research approach.</p><strong><strong><p>Results:</p></strong><p> </p><p>Five subcategories evolved through analysis of the manifest content: "Previously habit of exercise", "Asset of social support", "Importance of accessibility", "Desire of self-improvement" and "Ability to prioritise exercise". These subcategories formed three categories; "Previously habit of exercise", "External stipulations" and "Internal stipulations".</p><strong><strong><p>Conclusion:</p></strong><p> </p><p>To have been physical active as a child or teenager is of great importance when it comes to ability to exercise on a regular basis as an adult. Social support, especially when it comes to an understanding family, and one’s own will are two other important factors that emerged in this study. The results of the study indicate that a great part of health promoting activities ought to be put on children and teenagers in school and at their leisure time.</p></strong></strong></strong></strong></strong></p><p> </p>