Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 95-115).

D.Phil. / The dependancy of academic information services on information technology is growing, particularly as information technology is the primary infrastructure of a digital library . This is compounded by the fast changing/developing nature of information technology and the trend towards digitisation. The changing nature of information technology contributes to the need to manage it. The focus of this thesis is on the management of information technology with specific reference to the changing nature of this resource. The problem addressed is: What is the most effective way (model) of managing changing information technology in academic information services and how can the disciplines of the management of change and the management of technology be used to find such a way? To solve this problem and to find a suitable model with which to manage information technology the management of change as well the management of technology was studied. In doing so 11 variables (which should be included in a management model) were distilled from the literature. Directors of academic information services in the South African tertiary sector were approached to rank the variables, an exercise that indicated the more important variables in the South African context. The ranking was as follows: Vision of the role of information technology in the enterprise Integrated strategic information technology and business plans of the enterprise Environmental scanning Available resources in the enterprise Centralised management responsibility Information technology standards and architecture Technological forecasting Market analysis The human aspect with reference to mankind's influence on and use of technology Evaluation of the information technology Risk assessment. Of these 11 variables, the first six were identified as key criteria. When existing information technology models were evaluated, these key criteria were used as the most important measures of effectiveness. However, attempts to find a suitable existing model that accommodates all six key criteria were unsuccessful. Equally, the effort to find a model which could be adapted to meet the criteria, was unproductive, though an effort was made to enhance the most promising model. In the process it has also been established that there are additional measures to which a successful model must comply. The development of a new model was embarked upon with success. The development of the model was done in two stages. The first effort was limited to the six key variables, while it was expanded in the second attempt to include all 11 variables. The model reflects both the relationships between the variables and the influences exerted between them. In designing a model for the management of information technology, it was discovered that the aim or goal of the model should be an integral part of the model. Integrating the goal resulted in clarity and contributed towards understanding the relationships and influences between the variables. In evaluating the model after completion, it was concluded that none of the 11 variables were unique or restricted to the tertiary sector or to South Africa. This conclusion is significant because it implies that the model can be applied as a general model for the management of information technology, irrespective of economic sector or geographic location.

Traditional marketing models are swiftly being upended by the advent of online social networks. Yet, practicing firms that are engaging with online social networks neither have a reliable theory nor sufficient practical experience to make sense of the phenomenon. Extant theory in particular is based on observations of the real world, and may thus not apply to online social networks. Practicing firms may consequently be misallocating a large amount of resources, simply because they do not know how the online social networks with which they interact are organized. The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate how online social networks that are in stark contrast to real-world social networks behave and how they get organized. In particular, I explore how network structure and information flow within the network impact each other, and how they affect the phenomenon of influence in online social networks. I have collected retrospective data from Twitter conversations about six YouTube product categories (Music, Entertainment, Comedy, Science, Howto and Sports) in continuous time for a period of three months. Measures of network structure (Scale Free Metric, Assortativity and Small World Metric), network flows (Total Paths, Total Shortest Paths, Graph Diameter, Average Path Length, and Average Geodesic Length) and influence (Eigenvector Centrality/Centralization) were computed from the data. Experimental measures such as power law distributions of paths, shortest paths and nodal eigenvector centrality were introduced to account for node-level structure. Factor analysis and regression analysis were used to analyze the data and generate results. The research conducted in this dissertation has yielded three significant findings. 1. Network structure impacts network information flow, and conversely; network flow and network structure impact the network phenomenon of influence. However, the impact of network structure and network flow on influence could not be identified in all instances, suggesting that it cannot be taken for granted. 2. The nature of influence within a social network cannot be understood just by analyzing undirected or directed networks. The behavioral traits of individuals within the network can be deduced by analyzing how information is propagated throughout the network and how it is consumed. 3. An increase or decrease in the scale of a network leads to the observation of different organizational processes, which are most likely driven by very different social phenomena. Social theories that were developed from observing real-world networks of a relatively small scale (hundreds or thousands of people) consequently do not necessarily apply to online social networks, which can exhibit significantly larger scale (tens of thousands or millions of people). The primary contribution of this dissertation is an enhanced understanding of how online social networks, which exhibit contrasting characteristics to social networks that have been observed in the real world, behave and how they get organized. The empirical findings of this dissertation may allow practicing managers that engage with online social networks to allocate resources more effectively, especially in marketing. The primary limitations of this research are the inability to identify the causes of change within networks, glean demographic information and generalize across contexts. These limitations can all be overcome by follow-on studies of networks that operate in different contexts. In particular, further study of a variety of online social networks that operate on different social networking platforms would determine the extent to which the findings of this dissertation are generalizable to other online social networks. Conclusions drawn from an aggregation of these studies could serve as the foundation of a more broadly-based theory of online social networks.

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirement of the Doctor of Technology degree in Information Technology, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2015. / Research productivity is one of the core functions of a university and it plays a crucial role for a nation to develop and find its standing in our global world. This study examined the effect of ICT adoption and training on the research productivity of university academics. Much research has been done on using technology in research with a view to increase productivity. However, hardly any research could be found on the use of ICT combined with ICT training with a view to increase research productivity. This study addressed this gap in the literature. The study sought to design a model that can increase research productivity of academics while optimizing ICT adoption and training effects. The study was conducted at four public universities in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, whilst the part of the study on ICT training was conducted at one of the four universities. This study was conducted both in the form of a survey of 103 university academics and in the form of experimental sessions, where the use of ICT (EndNote, NVivo, AMOS, SPSS, and Turnitin) with training was used for research, the use of ICT without training was used for research and, finally, a session where a manual system (without using research software/tools and training) was used for research. The overall aim of the study was to investigate and design a model for the increase in research productivity of academics in universities after having adopted ICTs. The final results of the research revealed that the use of ICT tools (EndNote, NVivo, AMOS, SPSS, and Turnitin) with training increases research productivity as compared to using ICT tools without training, and/or using a manual system (without using research software/tools and training). A statistically proven model is recommended with a view to increase research productivity of academics.

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirement of the Doctor of Technology degree in Information Technology, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2015. / Research productivity is one of the core functions of a university and it plays a crucial role for a nation to develop and find its standing in our global world. This study examined the effect of ICT adoption and training on the research productivity of university academics. Much research has been done on using technology in research with a view to increase productivity. However, hardly any research could be found on the use of ICT combined with ICT training with a view to increase research productivity. This study addressed this gap in the literature. The study sought to design a model that can increase research productivity of academics while optimizing ICT adoption and training effects. The study was conducted at four public universities in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, whilst the part of the study on ICT training was conducted at one of the four universities. This study was conducted both in the form of a survey of 103 university academics and in the form of experimental sessions, where the use of ICT (EndNote, NVivo, AMOS, SPSS, and Turnitin) with training was used for research, the use of ICT without training was used for research and, finally, a session where a manual system (without using research software/tools and training) was used for research. The overall aim of the study was to investigate and design a model for the increase in research productivity of academics in universities after having adopted ICTs. The final results of the research revealed that the use of ICT tools (EndNote, NVivo, AMOS, SPSS, and Turnitin) with training increases research productivity as compared to using ICT tools without training, and/or using a manual system (without using research software/tools and training). A statistically proven model is recommended with a view to increase research productivity of academics. / D

The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) recognizes five computing disciplines: Computer Science (CS), Computer Engineering (CE), Information Technology (IT), Information Systems (IS), and Software Engineering (SE). Founded in 1947 the ACM is the world's largest society for computing educators, researchers, and professionals. While Computer Science has been a degree program since 1962, the other four are relatively new. This research focuses on understanding the graduate research in four of the five ACM disciplines (CS, CE, IT, and IS) using a large body of thesis and dissertation metadata. SE is not found in the metadata and graduate work in SE is not included. IS is no longer officially found in the metadata so its representative ProQuest replacement, Information Science although not an ACM recognized discipline is used based on the commonality of the associated ProQuest Classification code. The research is performed using co-word and graph analysis of author-supplied Classifications, Departments, and keywords. Similarities and differences between the disciplines are identified. Whether the computing discipline is the primary or the secondary focus of the research makes a large difference in the connections it makes with other academic disciplines. It was found that the Departments from which computing research originates varies widely but the majority come from computing-related Departments. Finally, gaps are apparent from the practitioners' views of the computing disciplines versus the public's view.

This thesis contributes to the ongoing global discourse in ICT4D on ICT and its effect on socio-economic development in both theory and practice. The thesis comprises five studies presented logically from chapters 5 to 9. The thesis employs Mixed Methods research methodology within the Critical Realist epistemological perspective in Information Systems Research. Studies 1-4 employ different quantitative research and analytical methods while study 5 employs a qualitative research and analytical method. Study 1 proposes and operationalizes a predictive analytics framework in Learning Analytics by using a case study of the Computer Science Department of the University of Jos, Nigeria. Multiple Linear Regression was used with the aid of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) analysis tool. Statistical Hypothesis testing was then used to validate the model with a 5% level of significance. Results show how predictive learning analytics can be successfully operationalized and used for predicting students’ academic performances. In Study 2 the relative efficiency of ICT infrastructure utilization with respect to the educational component of the Human Development Index (HDI) is investigated. A Novel conceptual model is proposed and the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) methodology is used to measure the relative efficiency of the components of ICT infrastructure (Inputs) and the components of education (Outputs). Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) Regression Analysis is used to determine the effect of ICT infrastructure on Educational Attainment/Adult Literacy Rates. Results show a strong positive effect of ICT infrastructure on educational attainment and adult literacy rates, a strong correlation between this infrastructure and literacy rates as well as provide a theoretical support for the argument of increasing ICT infrastructure to provide an increase in human development especially within the educational context. In Study 3 the relative efficiency and productivity of ICT Infrastructure Utilization in Education are examined. The research employs the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and Malmquist Index (MI), well established non-parametric data analysis methodologies, applied to archival data on International countries divided into Arab States, Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa and World regions. Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) Regression analysis is applied to determine the effect of ICT infrastructure on Adult Literacy Rates. Findings show a relatively efficient utilization and steady increase in productivity for the regions but with only Europe and the Arab States currently operating in a state of positive growth in productivity. A strong positive effect of ICT infrastructure on Adult Literacy Rates is also observed. Study 4 investigates the efficiency and productivity of ICT utilization in public value creation with respect to Adult Literacy Rates. The research employs Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and Malmquist Index (MI), well established non-parametric data analysis methodologies, applied to archival data on International countries divided into Arab States, Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa and World regions. Findings show a relatively efficient utilization of ICT in public value creation but an average decline in productivity levels. Finally, in Study 5 a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) on the UNDP Human Development Research Reports from 2010-2016 is carried out to determine whether or not any public value is created or derived from the policy directions being put forward and their subsequent implementations. The CDA is operationalized by Habermas’ Theory of Communicative Action (TCA). Findings show that Public Value is indeed being created and at the core of the policy directions being called for in these reports. / School of Computing / Ph.D. (Information Systems)