The complex nature of healthcare requires nurse leaders to be skilled in professional practice, communication, teamwork, and problem solving to improve staff satisfaction and patient outcomes. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing and Institute of Medicine promotes graduate education for nurse leaders to enhance the delivery of quality care to the nation's diverse patient populations. Guided by the diffusion of innovation theory, this project explored the differences in nursing care hours, staff turnover, nurse quality indicators, as well as leadership characteristics on units lead by masters-prepared and non-masters-prepared nurses. Forty-eight nurse leaders completed the impact of graduate education among nurse leaders (IGENL) survey addressing perceptions of their ability to change practice, teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills. Staffing reports, Nurse Quality Indicators (NQI), and Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) data were collected from 34 hospital units. Data were summarized and t tests were conducted to examine the differences in NQI and HCAHPS data from units lead by nurses with and without a graduate degree. No significant differences were noted in these measures. In the IGENL survey data, the nurse leaders with a graduate degree had significantly higher scores on the leadership characteristic subscales of professional practice, communication and teamwork, and problem solving than did those without. The outcome of this project can contribute to positive social change within healthcare organizations by supporting the pursuit of graduate education for nurse leaders, which could enhance leadership attributes and subsequently improve staff satisfaction and patient outcomes.

This paper draws on evidence from Victoria to examine why more innovation takes place in some areas than in others. In so doing, it explores the relationship between innovation and networks. / Despite a large number of recent government policy statements on innovation, there has been very little attention paid to the spatial dimensions of innovation. / The literature on innovation increasingly points to the important role played by local and regional networks in driving innovation. Innovation is the result of the production, use and diffusion of knowledge, and this demands collaboration involving networks of individuals, organisations and institutions. / To test the theory of a connection between networks and innovation across regional Victoria, patent data is used as a proxy measure for innovation. This data is then cross-referenced with various social and economic data sets. / The analysis reveals that innovation in Victoria is substantially concentrated in ‘hot spots’ such as inner Melbourne. In some parts of Victoria very little innovation takes place at all. / This research has found that all things being equal, more innovation will take place in those areas in which there is a greater density of informal networks. However, not all types of networks are positive, and they are more important in provincial areas than in big cities. Innovation clearly has a spatial aspect, and innovation policy needs to give particular attention to the requirements of provincial areas.

<p><p><strong>Purpose:</strong><p>The purpose of this paper is to investigate and clarify some of the factors that influence organizations to adopt or reject the social media, and if the emergence of social media influenced the organization's communication.</p><p><strong><p>Metohodology:</p></strong></p><p>A qualitative methodology has been used to execute the study. The source has been semi structured interviews with chosen representatives from several organizations.</p><p><strong><p>Theoretical perspective:</p></strong></p><p>The theoretical basis for the execution of the methodology is based on the provisional theoretical demarcation uses and gratifications theory. For analysis diffusion of innovations theory is applied.</p><p><strong><p>Emperical findings:</p></strong></p><p>The empirical material includes interviews with representatives from twelve selected organizations, defined as companies in the industry and authorities, in seven different industries.</p><p><strong><p>Conclusion:</p><p> </p></strong>The main factors affecting an adoption of social media is the organization’s open structure, the ability to see opportunities with social media and that they are seen as a natural part of development in the communications field. The main factors affecting a rejection of social media is ignorance, the organization's governance and that there must be a need that social media can fill. Neither users nor non-users believe that social media can replace traditional media. They are a complement to existing media, where the oral personal communication is superior to other forms.</p></p></p>

To better understand the forces propelling the excess which characterizes much of Western society and culture, management scholars increasingly appear to be addressing notions such as play and playfulness. Through a number of narratives, homing in on a do-it-yourself movement within the heavy trucks industry in which users are displaying a keen interest in aesthetic aspects of their work tools, this book attempts to further and complement such discussions. It does so by exploring the creative processes which seem to constitute a certain playfulness, a certain playful practice set on excessive decoration of heavy duty vehicles — a practice which, moreover, appears to be spreading aesthetic values more generally within this industry. From a psychoanalytical perspective, and emphasizing and examining the relationship between fantasy and desire, it argues that in order to understand the driving mechanisms at work in such processes, one has, however, to look beyond the idea of the playful as being something thoroughly harmonic or pleasurable. Drawing mainly on Slavoj Zizek’s readings of the French philosopher and psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan, it argues that we must instead look beyond the pleasure principle in order to understand why something always emerges, where nothing really seemed to be needed. / QC 20100812

Purpose:The purpose of this paper is to investigate and clarify some of the factors that influence organizations to adopt or reject the social media, and if the emergence of social media influenced the organization's communication. Metohodology: A qualitative methodology has been used to execute the study. The source has been semi structured interviews with chosen representatives from several organizations. Theoretical perspective: The theoretical basis for the execution of the methodology is based on the provisional theoretical demarcation uses and gratifications theory. For analysis diffusion of innovations theory is applied. Emperical findings: The empirical material includes interviews with representatives from twelve selected organizations, defined as companies in the industry and authorities, in seven different industries. Conclusion:   The main factors affecting an adoption of social media is the organization’s open structure, the ability to see opportunities with social media and that they are seen as a natural part of development in the communications field. The main factors affecting a rejection of social media is ignorance, the organization's governance and that there must be a need that social media can fill. Neither users nor non-users believe that social media can replace traditional media. They are a complement to existing media, where the oral personal communication is superior to other forms.

「家」是人類生活的重心，居家影像監控設備的需求來自於家庭用戶想要掌握居家環境安全現況。相對於商業影像監控的應用，居家影像監控設備安裝的複雜度需要較低。因此居家影像監控市場以簡易安裝、遠端監控為主要的發展趨勢。 網路攝影機(IP Camera)具有數位化及網路化的特色，掌握寬頻網路的電信業者積極為影像監控市場創造新興的居家應用情境。許多傳統影像監控產品製造商為因應居家影像監控的潮流，也紛紛推出產品因應。然而電信業者及傳統影像監控業者在居家影像監控的市場都沒有得到很大的成功。個案公司創立於2009年，在2012年所推出的第一代產品，一開始只在網路上銷售，卻在2012、2013席捲美國市場，成為美國居家影像監控產品的第一品牌。 本研究探討之研究問題包括: (一)數位化及網際網路的普及對影像監控產品設計之影響、(二)行動裝置的普及對影像監控產品設計之影響、(三)個案公司提升消費者認知價值之產品創新策略。 本研究採用個案研究方法，首先列出客戶所重視的產品要素，以產品關鍵要素為橫軸客戶對個案產品的認知價值為縱軸描繪出曲線圖，比較個案公司產品與競爭對手的產品價值曲線，可解讀出其策略上的差異點。最後運用藍海策略思維，重塑和創新價值曲線以產生新的策略意義。 本研究發現，數位科技進步及網際網路的普及降低了使用影像監控產品的門檻，因而使居家影像監控產品得以被大量採用。而移動裝置的普及改變了消費者使用影像監控產品的方式，使用者的體驗主要來自於手機App的操作經驗，與過去在個人電腦上的使用經驗完全不同。個案公司以解決使用者痛點作為提升消費者認知價值之產品創新策略，值得居家影像監控業者未來產品規劃參考。 / Home is the center of human life, home video surveillance equipment demand from home users want to master the security status of the home environment. With respect to the commercial video surveillance applications, home video surveillance equipment requires low complexity of the installation. Therefore, the main trend of home video surveillance is easy installation and remote monitoring. IP Camera has digitized and network-oriented features, Internet carriers create new application scenarios for home video surveillance market. Many traditional video surveillance equipment manufacturers to cope with the trend of home video surveillance have also introduced products in response. However, carriers and traditional video surveillance industry in the home video surveillance markets have not been very successful. Founded in 2009, Dropcam Inc. launched the first generation of products in 2012, selling only on the Internet at the beginning, became the top brand of home video surveillance products in United States in 2013. This study try to answer three questions: (1) The popularity of digital technology and the Internet's impact on the design of video surveillance products, (2) The impact of the popularity of mobile devices on the design of video surveillance products, (3) Dropcam’s product innovation strategy to enhance consumer perceived value of the product. This study used a case study approach. Comparing the product value curve of Dropcam's products and its competitor’s product can interpret difference of strategy. Finally, the use of blue ocean strategy thinking, remodeling and innovation to create a new value curve strategic importance. The study found that the popularity of digital technology and the Internet's progress reducing the threshold to use of video surveillance products, thus making home video surveillance products to be widely adopted. The popularity of mobile devices has changed the way consumers use video surveillance products. Dropcam to resolve user’s pain points to enhance consumer awareness of the value of a product. It is worth for coming home video surveillance maker’s reference.

The tourism industry in the United States is constantly changing and being influenced by social media, specifically Instagram. Culinary brands use Instagram to advertise their restaurants and dishes in a creative, visual way. As a result, Instagram is now being used as a tool by tourists and both potential and current customers to share their dining experiences and find these locations based on the visual appeal. This study provides a content analysis of Instagram account information and photo composition within eight popular culinary tourism destinations by examining the strategies used by the accounts. 50 randomly selected photos were used from eight popular culinary tourism locations. Framing, Uses and Gratifications, and Diffusion of Innovation theories were the theoretical framework for the study. The results of this study indicated key characteristics of some of the most popular culinary tourism destinations on Instagram.

No description available.

Thesis (M.A. ( Information Studies)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / This study aimed to examine the extent of awareness and the adoption of Open Access (OA) publishing for the purpose of scholarly communication by academic staff at the University of Limpopo (UL). The study was guided by Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovation theory (1) to measure the level of awareness of academics on the availability and use of OA resources; (2) to determine the adoption and usage levels of OA publishing as a platform for information sharing by academics in scholarly communication; (3) to establish academics’ attitudes towards the use of the OA publishing platforms; and (4) to identify perspectives of academic staff with regards to challenges and benefits presented by OA publishing. A dominantly quantitative research approach was adopted using a google forms questionnaire with closed ended questions to collect data from 250 academics at the University of Limpopo. Academics were selected using the systematic simple random sampling method. To ensure the survey instrument’s reliability and validity, the researcher conducted a pilot study through a web-based survey. A descriptive statistics method of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyse data. The study established that the majority (82%) of academics were aware of OA publishing platforms. The internet and subject librarians were the main communication channels through which they became aware of OA publishing. The study also found that there was minimal the adoption and usage of OA publishing among academics. Their attitudes towards OA and their perceptions of the benefits and challenges of OA. The general attitudes of academics about OA were positive, signifying the acceptance of this scholarly communication mode. However, some of the challenges encountered in adopting and using OA publishing include slow internet connectivity and access, publication charges by some publishers, lack of skills to publish online, power interruptions, lack of policies on OA, fake and predatory v publishers and OA articles not being peer-reviewed. These were reported as problems that directly or indirectly hinder academics from publishing in OA platforms. The study recommends the institutionalisation of OA publishing at UL to improve research output dissemination. An area for further research will be to establish more insights regarding the feasibility of OA development and possible ways of dealing with article processing fees. Keywords: Open Access publishing, scholarly communication, Academic staff, Institutional Repositories, Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovation theory, University of Limpopo.

More research is needed to be able to fully understand the role that social media plays in elections, specifically in local elections. Candidates need to understand how it works and how they can effectively use this new communication medium. By exploring Diffusion of Innovation Theory, Social Information Processing Theory, and the Two-Way Symmetrical Model of communications this study sought to answer one overarching question: how should a candidate employ social media in a local election? This qualitative, single case study explores the 2014 recall and general election in Yorba Linda, California. Councilman Tom Lindsey and candidate Matt Palmer are the primary subjects of study. Observations were made through analysis of documentation, interviews, and participant and direct observation. The researcher was employed as the campaign manager for both Lindsey's and Palmer's campaigns. The findings support the use of social media in local campaigns on a case by case basis. Determining use depends on the demographics of the voters and the abilities of the candidate. The data suggests that social media needs to be part of comprehensive strategy that includes traditional communication tools. Observations from the case study illustrate the need for candidates to engage in two-way communication that is monitored and regulated. This study begins to establish social media as a tool that candidates can use to inexpensively reach voters in a way that showcases the candidate's personality and allows them to connect on a personal level with constituents. Social media will play a role in politics at all levels.