Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, Berkeley, 1993. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 248-265).

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study assesses the information policy of the Western Cape provincial government- of South Africa, with special emphasis on ICT for development in the general context of the global Information society. It is aimed at getting key lessons together for the Eritrean ICT policy development. The methodology used in this study include review of the literature on the ICT policy in Western Cape, South Africa and beyond, conducting interviews with key actors in Western Cape Provincial Government and site visits to Multi-Purpose Community Centres. The study analyses institutions, ICT policy processes, methodologies and challenges. The study concludes that although developing an ICT policy remains fundamental for developing countries like Eritrea, the main challenge lies in integrating new and old technologies into national development priorities. This cannot be achieved without building blocks such as adequate infrastructure, human and financial resources, and commitment to succeed in information age. A series of recommendations were put forward for Eritrea based on the analysis of the policy process and progress in South Africa in general and Western Cape Province in particular. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In hierdie studie word die beleid ten opsigte van inligting in die Wes-Kaapse provinsiale regering van Suid-Afrika bestudeer, met die klem veral op Inligting en Kommunikasie Tegnologie vir ontwikkeling in die algemene konteks van- die wereldwye inligting gemeenskap. Die doelwit van hierdie studie is om sleutellesse te leer wat kan help met die ontwikkeling van 'n beleid t.o.v. Inligting en Kommunikasie in Eritrea. Die metodologie wat gebruik is sluit in 'n oorsig van die literatuur oor die IKT (ICT) beleid in die Wes-Kaap, Suid-Afrika, en in ander lande; onderhoude met sleutelfigure in die Wes-Kaapse provinsiale regering; en besoeke aan Veeldoelige Gemeenskap Sentrums. Die studie ontleed instansies, IKT beleid prosesse, metodologie en uitdagings. In die studie word daar bevind dat, alhoewel die ontwikkeling van 'n Inligting en Kommunikasie beleid van fundamentele belang is vir ontwikkelende lande soos Eritrea, die hoofuitdaging daarin Iê om ou en nuwe tegnologie te integreer in die nasionale ontwikkelings prioriteite. Dit kan nie gedoen word sonder die boublokke van genoegsame infrastruktuur, menslike en finansiele hulpbronne, en verbintenis tot sukses in die inligtingsera nie. 'n Reeks aanbevelings word gemaak vir Eritrea, gegrond op die ontleding van die beleid, proses en vooruitgang van Suid-Afrika in die geheel, en veral van die Wes-Kaap.

D. Litt. et Phil. / The primary hypothesis postulated in this thesis reads The power of states in the postmodern age of knowledge is commensurate with their intelligence capabilities ', and is utilised in addressing the problem of state power and intelligence in an age of knowledge. It is argued that the contemporary era wherein states, individuals and other entities practice their existence is fundamentally different to that of historical precedent. In effect this era can be characterised as being an age of knowledge which has superceded the former information age. Sophisticated knowledge based technologies both informational and distributional are shown to be the catalysts which have facilitated the transformation to the age of knowledge, bringing about in effect a 'new world information order'. Information and intelligence are the metaphorical passengers and product ofthe use of knowledge based technologies and associated communication processes. They represent the raison d 'etre of such technologies, in effect spurring on their development. Intelligence, being a user-specific type of information designed to provide the recipient with context and opportunity with respect to a specific problem or situation, is shown in this thesis to be a fundamental resource for the making of both decisions and subsequently policy in, and for, government. It is demonstrated that the impact of intelligence on decision- and policymaking makes it a primary determinant of state power in an age of knowledge. The efficient management of information and intelligence does, and can, therefore impact upon the relative power of the state at both inter- and intranational levels. Consequently, the aforementioned primary hypothesis presented in the thesis is validated as it is clearly demonstrated that the power of states in the postmodern age of knowledge is in effect commensurate with their intelligence capabilities. The solution provided in this thesis in addressing the aforementioned problem lies in the need for recognition of the role and influence that information and intelligence have on state power in the age of knowledge. In addition, in order to exploit the power of information and intelligence it is necessary to regard it as being fundamental to information management at all levels, and for all functions, of government. This can, however, only be achieved by means of the development of a national information and intelligence strategy. A key aspect of such a strategy would be the utilisation of private sector resources for intelligence, specifically in the context of open source intelligence, a situation made possible by the 'new realities' which are characteristic of the age of knowledge. (Cf. Afrikaanse sinopsis op volgende bladsy.)

The aim of the study was to explore the effects of the absence of an overarching national information policy on information services in Malawi. The objectives of the study were to: find out the effects of the absence of an overarching national information policy on information access in Malawi; establish factors impeding the development of an overarching national information policy in Malawi; find out the extent to which the absence of an overarching policy has affected capacity building in information services in Malawi; and identify the legal and regulatory framework implications of the absence of such a policy in Malawi. The study adopted an exploratory research design. Data were collected using document analysis, observations and in-depth interviews. Eighty-two face-to-face interviews were conducted with policy makers in government, Members of Parliamentary committees on legal and media issues, information scientists, information service providers, academicians, legal experts and information users. Purposive sampling was used to select participants. An interview guide comprising closed and open ended questions was used to interview respondents. Data were analysed using quantitative and qualitative methods. The findings of this study may be used by Government in developing relevant national information policies that would enhance free access and utilisation of information. Furthermore the study is significant in identifying factors that may impede the development of a national information policy. The study revealed that Malawi has a brittle national information policy framework for the provision of information services. Malawi doesn’t have an overarching policy framework for the sector and as a result, there is no policy guidance to drive the development of sectoral policies and supporting legislation. Policy development in Malawi is more reactive to issues than systematic and very slow. Consequently, access to and utilization of information is low; capacity building is low in terms of competencies and infrastructure and; the legal and regulatory framework for information services is weak. The study also revealed that factors impeding the development of an overarching national information policy include: motivation for the development of sectoral information policies; lack of an institutional framework to guide the development of policy; lack of finances and technical capacity; lack of sustained political will; level of economic development; existence of overarching government development plans; international trends; and the diverse nature of the information sector. The general recommendation emanating from the findings of the study is that Malawi needs an overarching national information policy which would articulate and address issues regarding access to information, capacity building in terms of skills and infrastructure, and the legal and regulatory framework. Information is a cross-cutting issue requiring an all-encompassing policy. However, specific recommendations from the findings of this study are that government should expedite the development of policies and enactment of relevant pieces of legislation which are not yet in place to enhance free access and utilisation of information and ICTs; government should speed up the introduction of information literacy in the school curriculum starting from primary school level to university; government should develop a library policy to promote the development of school libraries in both primary and secondary schools, and public libraries in all towns, district assemblies and rural growth centres which should be well resourced including Internet facilities; and government should constantly review and harmonise policies and legislation in the information sector so that they are in line with current trends.

While on the broadest level this paper argues for a rethinking of governance in our "information society," the central thesis of this paper argues for a national policy for data protection in the private sector. It does so through three sets of lessons from the Quebec data protection experience. These include lessons for I) the policy model, (2) the policy process, (3) the policy area as it relates to the policy problem as well as general questions about governance in an information polity. The methodology for this paper is based on a four-part sequential analysis. The first part is a theoretical and empirical exploration of the problem, which is broadly defined as the "tension over personal information." The second part looks comparatively at how other jurisdictions have responded to the problem. The third part assesses which model is the better policy alternative for Canada and concludes that Quebec regulatory route is better than the national status quo. The fourth part uses a comparative public policy framework, as well as interviews, to understand the policy processes in Quebec and Ottawa so that we can highlight the opportunities and constraints for a national data protection policy in the private sector. / Arts, Faculty of / Political Science, Department of / Graduate

The aim of this thesis work was to develop a management information system model for process-oriented healthcare organisations. The study explores two questions: “What kinds of requirements do healthcare managers place on information systems?” and “How can the work and information systems of healthcare managers and care providers be incorporated into process-oriented healthcare organisations?” The background to the study was the process orientation of Swedish healthcare organisations. The study was conducted at the paediatric clinic of a county hospital in southern Sweden. Organisational process was defined as “a sequence of work procedures that jointly constitute complete healthcare services”, while a functional unit was the organisational venue responsible for a certain set of work activities. A qualitative research method, based on a developmental circle, was used. The data was collected from archives, interviews, observations, diaries and focus groups. The material was subsequently analysed in order to categorise, model and develop small-scale theories about information systems. The study suggested that computer-based management information systems in processoriented healthcare organisations should: (1) support medical work; (2) integrate clinical and administrative tools; (3) facilitate the ability of the organisation to measure inputs and outcomes. The research effort concluded that various healthcare managers need the same type of primary data, though presented in different ways. Professional developers and researchers have paid little attention to the manner in which integrated administrative, financial and clinical systems should be configured in order to ensure optimal support for process-oriented healthcare organisations. Thus, it is important to identify the multiple roles that information plays in such an organisation. / <p>Report code: LiU-TEK-LIC-2003:14. On the day of the public defence the status of the article I was: In press and the status of article II was: Submitted.</p>

With the advent of new interactive Internet technologies in government, a move from the transactional loop of electronic government to a more web-like structure of interaction is anticipated for government information systems. It has been argued that that web-like structure of information systems will dictate a new organizational form for government organization. Explored within the dissertation are two primary research questions. The first research question relates to understanding the nature of adoption of new interactive Internet tools in government agencies and whether that adoption differs from the adoption process for transactional systems. To understand the nature of interactive technology adoption, presidential directives, legislation, and laws implementing transactional and interactive information systems are evaluated. Discovered in evaluation are the motivating factors in technology adoption and related technology adoption and organizational outcomes. Accompanying that evaluation is an exploration of the new technologies being used by government agencies as a part of the technology adoption process. To understand the nature of the differences in infrastructure of information systems associated with transactional information technologies and interactive information technologies, a series of case studies were developed. For each case, an exploration of the technology implemented and a map of the Internet architecture for the technology were constructed. Findings suggest that the adoption process and the information system architecture of transactional and interactive technologies are different. Though it is too early in the adoption and implementation process to discern any impacts to the government organization, the technology adoption and implementation is couched in larger organizational theory. Extrapolations are made to address the future form of the government organization and policy outcomes for continued implementation of interactive systems and the organizational impacts are discussed. The second research question relates to the value associated with the implementation of new interactive Internet technologies. To understand any value associated with implementation of technologies, a qualitative assessment of the value conversations within government agencies was conducted, an assessment of citizen value ranking of data was undertaken, and a quantitative analysis of differences in customer service scores given the use of interactive information technologies is conducted. This analysis is triangulated against a historical evaluation of increasing and decreasing scores and an exploration of specific evaluations conducted for interactive technology projects. Findings suggest that that there is value in implementing interactive Internet technologies. However, that signal is weak. A suggestion of research is that evaluation metrics be developed to understand the value of implementing of interactive technologies. Policy suggestions are outlined for technology value evaluation. The concluding outcome of the dissertation is a suggestion of a path forward for interactive Internet technology development in government and an argument for the construct of the emerging organizational structure associated with information organizations. / text

Submitted by Gustavo Gomes (gustavolascasas@gmail.com) on 2013-12-09T11:37:29Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Pol??ticas de governo eletr??nico em Estados da Federa????o Brasileira.pdf: 2068741 bytes, checksum: ea01f9077e2d57e7eb95865c7787a806 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Roger Guedes (roger.guedes@fjp.mg.gov.br) on 2013-12-09T19:39:51Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Pol??ticas de governo eletr??nico em Estados da Federa????o Brasileira.pdf: 2068741 bytes, checksum: ea01f9077e2d57e7eb95865c7787a806 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2013-12-09T19:39:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Pol??ticas de governo eletr??nico em Estados da Federa????o Brasileira.pdf: 2068741 bytes, checksum: ea01f9077e2d57e7eb95865c7787a806 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009 / Funda????o Jo??o Pinheiro / A tem??tica de governo eletr??nico se popularizou no Brasil nos anos 2000. O termo, de acep????o mais ou menos ampla, sugere a utiliza????o dos recursos de tecnologia da informa????o e comunica????o para que a administra????o p??blica preste servi??os aos cidad??os, promova a transpar??ncia das a????es governamentais e permita aos cidad??os a participa????o nos processos de elabora????o, acompanhamento e avalia????o das pol??ticas p??blicas. Ao menos em tese, o governo eletr??nico significa a possibilidade de remodelar as estruturas e os processos da administra????o p??blica. Ancorado no tema de e-governo, esta tese investiga o processo de institucionaliza????o das pol??ticas de governo eletr??nico nos estados brasileiros. Como eixo te??rico central do trabalho foi utilizado o neo institucionalismo. Duas perguntas foram fundamentais na forma????o do problema de pesquisa: (i) qual ?? o grau de institucionaliza????o do governo eletr??nico nos estados da federa????o brasileira? e ii) o desenho institucional das pol??ticas de governo eletr??nico influencia a governan??a nos governos estaduais? Para respond??-las, foram adotados um conjunto de hip??teses. Entre elas destacam-se: (a) o desenho institucional das pol??ticas de governo eletr??nico influencia a presta????o de servi??os dos governos estaduais e de cada uma das secretarias; (b) o desenho institucional que favorece a constru????o de uma pol??tica integrada de governo eletr??nico influencia positivamente a governan??a eletr??nica; (c) o grau de institucionaliza????o da pol??tica de governo eletr??nico nos estados da federa????o brasileira ?? baixo. Prevalecem o insulamento de a????es e iniciativas e modelos de gest??o de TIC baseados na fragmenta????o; (d) os modelos de gest??o de TIC dos governos estaduais apresentam arranjos estruturais pouco operacionais e, muitas vezes, in??cuos. Para testar as hip??teses e pressupostos foram conjugados m??todos qualitativos e quantitativos. Utilizou-se estudos de casos m??ltiplos, sendo a parte qualitativa realizada em cinco Estados da Federa????o e a quantitativa em dez Estados. Os resultados confirmam as hip??teses e os pressupostos e sugerem a necessidade dos governos estaduais repensarem suas pol??ticas de egoverno sob pena de n??o alcan??arem as promessas embutidas na literatura de governo eletr??nico. O trabalho permitiu identificar que o desenho institucional das pol??ticas de egoverno ?? fundamental para que haja efetiva presta????o de servi??os e governan??a eletr??nica. Al??m disso, permitiu identificar que a institucionaliza????o do governo eletr??nico ?? um desafio presente e que precisa ser enfrentado pelos governos estaduais. / Electronic government as a theme became popular in Brazil in the 2000s. The term, either the more or the less broad conception, suggests the usage of communication and information technology means by the public administration when serving citizens, promoting governmental actions transparency and allowing citizens to participate in the processes of elaboration, following-up and evaluation of public policies. At least theoretically egovernment means the possibility to redesign public administration structures and processes. Based on e-government itself, this thesis investigates the e-government policies institutionalization process in Brazilian states. Neo-institutionalism was used as the central theoretical axis for this work. Two questions were essential in building the research issue: (i) what is the level of e-government institutionalization in the Brazilian Federation states? And (ii) does the e-government institutional policy design influence governance in state governments? In order to answer these questions an assumption group was used. Among these assumptions the following should be highlighted: (a) e-government institutional policies design influences the government of each state in its services delivery and in each of its Secretariats??? as well; (b) an institutional design which favors the building of an e-government integrated policy influences electronic governance positively; (c) the level of e-government policy institutionalization in the states of Brazil???s Federation is low. The insulation of actions and initiatives and CIT (Communication and Information Technology) management models based on fragmentation prevails; (d) CIT management models in state governments present structural arrangements which are little operable and often useless. In order to test these assumptions and presuppositions quantitative and qualitative methods were conjugated. Multiple case studies were used and the qualitative part was carried out in five states of Brazil whereas the quantitative part was done in ten states. Results confirm the assumptions and presuppositions previously made and suggest a general state government need to rethink e-government policies, otherwise these governments will not achieve the promises made in e-government literature. This work demonstrated that the institutional design in e-government policies is essential to effective electronic governance and public services deliveries. Beyond that, this thesis also showed that e-government institutionalization is a present challenge which needs to be faced by state governments in Brazil. / Governo e Pol??tica

nformation security (InfoSec) policies are widely used by institutions as a form of InfoSec control measure to protect their information assets. InfoSec policies are commonly documented in natural language, which is prone to ambiguity and misinterpretation, thereby making it hard, if not impossible, for users to comply with. These misinterpretations may lead the students or staff members to wrongfully execute the required actions, thereby making institutions vulnerable to InfoSec attacks. According to the literature review conducted in this work, InfoSec policy documents are often not followed or complied with; and the key issues facing InfoSec policy compliance include the lack of management support for InfoSec, organisational cultures of non-compliance, intentional and unintentional policy violation by employees (the insider threat), lack of policy awareness and training as well as the policy being unclear or ambiguous. This study is set in the higher education context and explores the extent to which the non-compliance problem is embedded within the policy documents themselves being affected by ambiguity. A qualitative method with a case study research strategy was followed in the research, in the form of an inductive approach with a cross-sectional time horizon, whereby a selection case of relevant institutional InfoSec policies were analysed. The data was collected in the form of academic literature and InfoSec policies of higher education institutions to derive themes for data analysis. A qualitative content analysis was performed on the policies, which identified ambiguity problems in the data. The findings indicated the presence of ambiguity within the policy documents, making it possible to misinterpret some of the policy statements. Formal methods were explored as a possible solution to the policy ambiguity. A framework was then proposed to address ambiguity and improve on the clarity of the semantics of policy statements. The framework can be used by policy writers in paying attention to the presence of ambiguity in their policies and address these when drafting or revising their policy documents. / School of Computing / M. Sc.(Computing)

Submitted by Clebson Anjos (clebson.leandro54@gmail.com) on 2015-05-12T21:30:30Z No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 6534367 bytes, checksum: ff0de0bf601dd29f7ca7d34ea42beebb (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-12T21:30:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 6534367 bytes, checksum: ff0de0bf601dd29f7ca7d34ea42beebb (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-02-11 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / It analyzes the political processes and information management in the Library System of the Federal University of Paraíba (SISTEMOTECA/UFPB). Therefore, and as the first objective, we characterize the specific information regime of SISTEMOTECA/UFPB, identifying the elements that constitute it. Then, we map the information management practices developed by managers, who in this research were represented by the coordinators of libraries of members SISTEMOTECA/UFPB. With management practices set, we could also identify barriers, in the view of managers, who interfered in the information management process. From this analysis material was proposed information actions that could effectively contribute to the construction of an Information Management Policy specifically directed to SISTEMOTECA/UFPB thus contributing to the improvement of performance of this set of libraries. With regard to methodology, was used action research, coherent method for our purposes by enhancing the participation of investigated, together with the ability to bring about change, such information actions. As to the goal, the research is expressed in exploratory and descriptive, which contributed to the achievement of new approaches and prospects for study, as well as the understanding of characteristics, opinions, attitudes and beliefs of certain groups participating in the research. Regarding the nature of the research, the approach used was qualitative, allowing greater interaction between researcher and managers of libraries belonging to UFPB. The theoretical framework begins with analysis of the origin, concepts and relationships in Information Science. In sequence, we approach the information management, especially the procedural model of information management formulated by Choo (2003). Information policies are discussed under the context of university libraries, emphasizing its regulatory and normative character, as well as its benefits to the library system. The information regime was investigated, seeking to characterize and identify the formative elements of the specific regime of SISTEMOTECA/UFPB. In the analysis of the management information process undertaken by the managers of libraries members of SISTEMOTECA/UFPB, we realize that many effectively undertake practices related needs, acquisition and use of information. However, in reference to the organization of stages and storage products and services and distribution of information, it was found the need for improvement and implementation of major practices of information management. Finally, we establish the information actions inherent and necessary for the specific Management Policy Information aimed at social reality of SISTEMOTECA/UFPB. / Analisa os processos de política e gestão da informação no Sistema de Bibliotecas da Universidade Federal da Paraíba (SISTEMOTECA/UFPB). Para tanto, e como primeiro objetivo, caracterizamos o regime de informação específico do SISTEMOTECA/UFPB, com a identificação dos elementos que o constituem. Em seguida, mapeamos as práticas de gestão da informação desenvolvidas pelos gestores, que nesta pesquisa foram representados pelos gestores das bibliotecas integrantes do SISTEMOTECA/UFPB. Com as práticas de gestão determinadas, pudemos também identificar as barreiras, na ótica dos gestores, que interferiam no processo de gestão da informação. A partir deste material de análise foi possível propor ações de informação que pudessem efetivamente contribuir para a construção de uma Política de Gestão da Informação especificamente voltada ao SISTEMOTECA/UFPB, concorrendo assim para a melhoria de desempenho deste conjunto de bibliotecas. No que diz respeito à metodologia, foi utilizada a pesquisa-ação, método coerente aos nossos propósitos por potencializar a participação dos investigados, aliada à possibilidade de provocar mudanças, a exemplo das ações de informação. Quanto ao objetivo, a pesquisa se manifestou em exploratória e descritiva, o que contribuiu para o alcance de novas abordagens e perspectivas de estudo, assim como a compreensão de características, opiniões, atitudes e crenças de determinados grupos participantes da pesquisa. No que concerne à natureza da pesquisa, a abordagem utilizada foi a qualitativa, o que permitiu maior interação entre o pesquisador e os gestores das bibliotecas pertencentes à UFPB. O referencial teórico tem início com análises sobre a origem, conceitos e relações na Ciência da Informação. Em sequência, abordamos a gestão da informação, com destaque ao modelo processual de gestão da informação formulado por Choo (2003). As políticas de informação são discutidas sob o contexto das bibliotecas universitárias, ressaltando seu caráter regulador e normativo, assim como seus benefícios ao sistema de bibliotecas. O regime de informação foi investigado, buscando caracterizar e identificar os elementos formadores do regime específico do SISTEMOTECA/UFPB. Na análise do processo de gestão da informação empreendido pelos gestores das bibliotecas integrantes do SISTEMOTECA/UFPB, percebemos que muitos efetivamente empreendem práticas relacionadas às necessidades, aquisição e uso da informação. No entanto, em referência às etapas de organização e armazenamento, produtos e serviços e distribuição de informação, foi constatada a necessidade de melhoria e execução de maiores práticas de gerenciamento da informação. Por fim, estabelecemos as ações de informação inerentes e necessárias à Política de Gestão da Informação específica voltado à realidade social do SISTEMOTECA/UFPB.