Thesis advisor: Mehmet Ekmekci / This dissertation consists of two independent essays. In the first essay, Coordination in Complex Environments, I introduce a framework to study coordination in highly uncertain environments. Coordination is an important aspect of innovative contexts, where: the more innovative a course of action, the more uncertain its outcome. To explore the interplay of coordination and informational complexity, I embed a beauty-contest game into a complex environment. I uncover a new conformity phenomenon. The new effect may push towards exploration of unknown alternatives, or constitute a status quo bias, depending on the network structure of the connections among players. In the second essay, The Extensive Margin of Bayesian Persuasion, I study the persuasion of a receiver who accesses information only if she exerts attention effort. The sender uses the information to incentivize the receiver to pay attention. I show that persuasion mechanisms are equivalent to signals. In a model of media capture, the sender finds it optimal to censor high states. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2024. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Economics.

Class of 2012 Abstract / Specific Aims: The purpose of this study is to assess rural community members in Cochise County, Arizona, to determine if healthcare screenings and informational sessions are desired by the community members for chronic disease states, and from which healthcare providers the community members prefer to obtain these services. Identify which health professional rural members are most likely to seek for healthcare screening. Identify which health professional rural members are most likely to seek for healthcare informational sessions. Determine if rural community members are willing to pay for healthcare screening and informational sessions. Methods: This descriptive study obtained data through 350 questionnaires distributed during selected Cochise County community events in late 2011. Main Results: 341 surveys were completed. The majority of results favored physicians with 47.7% of the people stating they would very likely attend a health care screening conducted by a physician. 34.5% responded they would very likely attend an informational session conducted by a physician. Of the respondents willing to pay for health screenings, 63.9% would pay $30 or less. 70.9% stated they would not be willing to pay for an informational session. However, the majority of participants, 61.3%, indicated they would utilize pharmacists for OTC questions. Regarding questions about prescription medications, 43.4% would go to pharmacists, and similarly, 44% indicated they use physicians. Conclusions: As seen from the results, pharmacists are underutilized by rural community members; except for OTC questions. Respondents with higher levels of education were also more likely to prefer and attend events held by pharmacists.

Class of 2011 Abstract / OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to create and evaluate the usability and credibility of an informational website about the influenza vaccination. METHODS: This was a descriptive study of user’s reactions to a website. Questionnaires administered during a regularly scheduled class collected ratings of the usability and credibility of an informational website about the influenza vaccination; data on vaccination status, year in pharmacy school and plans for future vaccination were also collected. RESULTS: Questionnaires were completed by 8 students. Eighty-eight percent of participants were in their 3rd year of pharmacy school and 62% received the influenza vaccination in the past season. Only one participant had used the internet to access information about vaccines in the past. The means scores for the 9 usability and credibility statements were between 2 to 2.9 indicating agreement with the statements. CONCLUSION: The influenza website is easy to navigate and provides a source of credible information about the influenza vaccination.

The educational shift to the common core requires educators to increase the amount of informational text that is used within their classroom. The struggle for whole group use of informational text related to units of study proved to be challenging for teachers at the study site. Guided by constructivist theory that states learners must have the means to construct knowledge and understanding, the purpose of the study was to explore the current practices and needs of teachers in reaction to the increased use of informational texts. The research questions addressed the teaching strategies and guidance that teachers provide for students' learning, what current challenges teachers have, and their needs for better implementation of the Common Core Standards. Eleven teachers from 3rd to 5th grades were interviewed and participated in a focus group. Analysis and organization of the data through its transcription and coding led to the emergence of 4 themes: the need for professional development, time management, integration of curriculum, and creativity in the language arts classroom. The findings inspired the creation of a 3-day professional development to provide teachers with an opportunity to collaborate, create, engage, and learn. This study supports positive social change by providing a resource for teachers to better serve students in having the ability to read for information in an integrated manner. This ability will help students in their educational responsibilities and perhaps future endeavors in understanding societal issues.

Computer technologies progressively penetrate into educational system, influence its management and teaching process. Pupils have possibilities to use computers at home and at school. Teachers use them in the teaching process. While IT weren’t used in the teaching process lessons were dry and boring. Though, these days the rapid expansions of the computer network opens wide possibilities for teachers to choose reaching softwear and new teaching methods which helps pupils to develop awareness of the subject, creative thinking and motivates them. The purpose of the research is to ascertain informational technologies know and used in mathematics lessons, their strengths, weaknesses and use opportunities in the lessons. Tasks of the research: to analyse pedagogical, methodological literature concerning IT; to reveal strengths and weaknesses of IT use; to induct teachers’ activity using IT in the teaching process; to detect the efficiency of the IT use in the teaching process. The methodology of the research: pedagogical, methodological literature, questionnaire and its results analysis, comperative analysis, data analysis. The questionnaires were given to basic secondary schools’ and gymnasiums’ teachers in 14 regions. Inferences: Mathematics teachers know many teaching softwear programs in Lithuanian. There are good conditions to use teaching softwear programs at schools. Teachers use computers for work and teaching purposes. Mathematics teachers agree that IT helps to... [to full text]

Information becomes the base of modern economy. Tendencies of development of informational technologies and informational economy in Lithuania are introduced in this word. There is general informational economy factors presented: establishing the informational, and analysis of situation and perspectives of education system. The progress of informational economy is insufficient. The value- attitudes of Lithuanian inhabitants are twofold: on the one hand, they are favorable regarding informatization of the country since they relate the development of an information society with the optimistic prospects of a democratic welfare state. On the other hand, due to the overly pessimistic and critical assessment of the present condition and action of the government Lithuanian tend to associate such prospects with only the distant future.

While much research has separately considered informational texts and students who struggle with reading, few studies have looked at how these two interact together and what the possible benefits might be. This study provides descriptive information about the perceptions of informational texts from three striving readers. Each student was interviewed and additional data were collected about the students’ literacy environments from their parents, teachers, and classrooms. Results showed that the three students spoke positively about informational texts and that two of the most attractive qualities are interesting material and making meaning from pictures. Within their classrooms, the three students were exposed to a considerable number of informational texts. While the professional literature advocates the use of informational texts for the benefit of boys, it is interesting to note that the two girls in this study chose to read a considerable number of informational texts. It is concluded that informational texts appealed to the three striving reader study participants. Ideas for helping parents and teachers use informational texts with striving readers are presented.

While much research has separately considered informational texts and students who struggle with reading, few studies have looked at how these two interact together and what the possible benefits might be. This study provides descriptive information about the perceptions of informational texts from three striving readers. Each student was interviewed and additional data were collected about the students’ literacy environments from their parents, teachers, and classrooms. Results showed that the three students spoke positively about informational texts and that two of the most attractive qualities are interesting material and making meaning from pictures. Within their classrooms, the three students were exposed to a considerable number of informational texts. While the professional literature advocates the use of informational texts for the benefit of boys, it is interesting to note that the two girls in this study chose to read a considerable number of informational texts. It is concluded that informational texts appealed to the three striving reader study participants. Ideas for helping parents and teachers use informational texts with striving readers are presented.

Business processes and information technology are two areas that are very closely related to the sustained competitive advantage in organisations. However, investment in information technology often leads to disappointment, which may in part be due to the non-alignment of the information system domain with the business process domain. Simulation modelling is an established technique often used in business process change projects, as it allows a comparison of different possible scenarios without the expense of physically implementing the system. However business process simulation fails to effectively capture the information systems perspective in the model. This thesis contends that by combining information systems modelling techniques with business process simulation the model will be able to capture all the four perspectives (functional, behavioural, organisational and informational) of an organisation, and the design of the business processes and the information system will be better aligned. Initially, attempts were made to integrate business process simulation with computer network simulation in a simple two- or three-layered simulation model, but this gave rise to significant problems the most significant being the underlying assumptions of the original hypothesis. This led to a refined hypothesis in which the layered models were discarded along with the network domain. The revised hypothesis aimed to capture the informational changes that occur in the information system and therefore combines prototyping with business process simulation. This overcomes the unsafe assumptions of the initial hypothesis about whether the system is 'correct' and provides a method of validating the design of the information system within the context of the business processes. The integrated model allows concurrent design of the information system domain and the business process domain and therefore ensures that the domains are better aligned. The framework is tested on a case study and the results indicate that it is an effective tool in the combined design of business processes and information systems.

Submitted by Rosivalda Pereira (mrs.pereira@ufma.br) on 2017-09-22T18:29:38Z No. of bitstreams: 1 AnaLaisMonte.pdf: 3899898 bytes, checksum: 80c6c2eab407e3030e826f9938538169 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-09-22T18:29:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 AnaLaisMonte.pdf: 3899898 bytes, checksum: 80c6c2eab407e3030e826f9938538169 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-04-24 / The present research is a study about the importance of the clothing tech pack in the development of products in clothing industry, considering its information content. The objective is to identify the different types of tech packs in the industries and to understand how their informational design can facilitate the productive process, avoiding errors and waste. For that, the survey was carried out in clothing industries from São Luís (MA), and the tech packs used in the production process were collected, which were organized regarding the different types found, considering the models proposed by Araújo (1999), Rigueiral (2002) and CITEVE (2005). Next, the informational contents of tech packs were analyzed based on the variables of Mijksenaar (2001), concluding with the elaboration and application of a questionnaire in order to understand how the users understand the importance of the tech pack. As result, it was evident that tech packs are still little used in the industries of São Luís – MA, mainly by the employees. The tech packs did not present a good hierarchy, creating noises that can difficult legibility and readability, the space for graphic representations is insufficient or has no description of details and information is still insufficient for users. The only positive common point among all tech packs is the use of fonts with size greater than 8 pt. Theses results are due to the lack of parameters to elaborate a good informational design for tech packs / A presente pesquisa é um estudo sobre a importância da ficha técnica de vestuário no desenvolvimento de produtos nas indústrias, considerando o seu conteúdo informacional. O objetivo é identificar os diferentes tipos de fichas técnicas nas indústrias e entender como o seu design informacional pode facilitar o processo produtivo, evitando erros e desperdícios. Para tanto, a pesquisa foi realizada nas indústrias de vestuário de São Luís (MA), tendo sido feito o levantamento das fichas técnicas utilizadas no processo produtivo, as quais foram organizadas quanto aos diferentes tipos encontrados, considerando-se os modelos propostos por Araújo (1999), Rigueiral (2002) e CITEVE (2005). Em seguida, analisou-se o conteúdo informacional das fichas técnicas com base nas variáveis de Mijksenaar (2001), concluindo com a elaboração e aplicação de questionário a fim de compreender como os usuários entendem a importância da ficha técnica. Como resultado, ficou evidente que as fichas ainda são pouco utilizadas nas indústrias de São Luís – MA, sobretudo pelos funcionários. As fichas não possuíam uma boa hierarquização, criando ruídos que possam dificultar a legibilidade e leiturabilidade, o espaço para o desenho é insuficiente ou não possui descrição dos detalhes e as informações ainda são escassas para os usuários. O único ponto positivo em comum para todas as fichas técnicas é o uso de fontes com tamanho maior que 8. Esses resultados ocorrem devido à falta de parâmetros para elaboração de um bom design informacional das fichas técnicas