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A presente pesquisa visa investigar o envolvimento do usuário final no desenvolvimento de um Sistema de Informação (SI) e sua influência na adoção do SI. Para tanto, realizou-se uma revisão sistemática, em que foram analisados 133 artigos e cujo resultado é a proposição de uma modificação do Modelo de Aceitação de Tecnologia (TAM) incluindo variáveis relativas ao envolvimento do usuário: situacional e intrínseco. Em seguida, foi realizado o teste do modelo proposto a partir de uma survey com 114 respondentes, cujos dados foram analisados através de Análise Fatorial Exploratória (EFA), Análise Fatorial Confirmatória (CFA) e Modelagem por Equações Estruturais (SEM). O teste permitiu inferir que as hipóteses suscitadas estavam corretas e que o envolvimento do usuário é significativo dentro do contexto de adoção de um SI. Por fim, realizou-se um projeto de experimentos fatorial (DOE) fracionado para verificar de que forma envolvimento situacional e intrínseco estão relacionados Evidenciou-se que a composição do efeito de fatores principais e de interações duplas das atividades do envolvimento situacional explica até 57% da variação do envolvimento intrínseco. As principais contribuições teóricas da dissertação versam sobre a consistência aportada pelos métodos utilizados. O subsídio teórico aportado pela revisão sistemática permitiu elaborar relações teóricas com segurança. A utilização conjunta de EFA e CFA é indicada para conferir robustez à pesquisa. Da mesma forma, a modelagem por equações estruturais apresentou utilidade no contexto da pesquisa, embora se indique cuidado ao realizar as modificações no modelo para que se adeque aos parâmetros de qualidade da análise. Por fim, a realização de um projeto de experimento fatorial fracionado é algo incomum na literatura de adoção de SI, mas foi útil para verificação da qualidade da interação entre os tipos de envolvimento, bem como a verificação de quais fatores devem ser evitados. / The present research aims to understand the end user involvement in the Information System (IS) development influence in IS adoption by proposing and testing a specific theoretical model. A systematic review was carried out in which 133 articles were analyzed and its result is a Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) modification proposition. This model includes variables related to the user's involvement: situational involvement and intrinsic involvement. Afterwards, the test of the proposed model was carried out from a survey with 114 respondents, whose data were analyzed through Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The test allowed inferring that the hypotheses raised were correct and that user involvement is significant within IS adoption context. Finally, a fractional factorial design of experiments (DOE) with seven factors was done to verify how two types of involvement are related. It was evidenced that the composition of the effect of situational involvement major factors and double interactions explains up to 57% of intrinsic involvement variation The main theoretical contributions of the dissertation are about the consistency provided by the methods used. The theoretical subsidy provided by the systematic review allowed development of theoretical relations with safety. The combined EFA and CFA use is strongly indicated to give robustness to the research. Likewise, SEM presented significant utility in research context, although it is indicated caution when making model modifications to fit analysis quality parameters. Finally, fractional factorial DOE with seven factors is uncommon in the literature, but it was extra useful to verify interaction quality between types of involvement.

Submitted by Luciano Carvalho (luccar@gmail.com) on 2014-03-14T14:19:09Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese Luciano Castro de Carvalho.pdf: 1514970 bytes, checksum: 90788ec79c03971a7e24d2b17f5b2023 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by PAMELA BELTRAN TONSA (pamela.tonsa@fgv.br) on 2014-03-17T14:45:26Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese Luciano Castro de Carvalho.pdf: 1514970 bytes, checksum: 90788ec79c03971a7e24d2b17f5b2023 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2014-03-17T14:46:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese Luciano Castro de Carvalho.pdf: 1514970 bytes, checksum: 90788ec79c03971a7e24d2b17f5b2023 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-02-26 / This study aimed to verify the influence of the supply chain agents on the new product development’s performance when those agents are analyzed jointly. The motivation for this goal rose up from some studies that claimed for the consideration of the supply chain integration as a multi-dimensional construct, encompassing manufacturing, supplier and customer involvement into NPD; and due to the lack of information about the individual influences of those agents on new product development’s performance. Under these considerations, we built an analytical model based on Social Capital and Absorptive Capacity Theory, raising hypotheses from the literature review and connecting constructs as cooperation, supplier involvement into NPD, customer involvement into NPD, manufacturing involvement into NPD, anticipation of new technologies, continuous improvement, NPD’s operational performance, NPD’s marketing performance and NPD’s business performance. To test the hypotheses we also considered three moderating variables, as environmental turbulence (low, medium and high levels), industry (electronics, machinery and transport equipment) and location (American, European and Asian countries). To run the model, we used the data from High Performance Manufacturing (HPM)’s project that covers 339 companies from electronics, machinery and transport equipment industries placed in eleven countries. We tested the hypotheses through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) including multi-group moderation for the three moderating variables mentioned previously. The main results pointed out that the hypotheses regard to cooperation were confirmed in environments with medium level of turbulence while the hypotheses related to NPD performance was not rejected in electronics and machinery industry, in low levels of environmental turbulence and in Asian countries. Moreover, we found out that, under the same conditions, suppliers, customers and manufacturing influence differently on new product development performance. Thus, supplier involvement influences directly the operational performance and influences indirectly the marketing and business performance in low levels of environmental turbulence, in transport equipment industry and in American and European countries. Likewise, customer involvement influenced directly the operational performance and indirectly the marketing and business performance in medium and high levels of environmental turbulence, in the machinery industry and in Asian countries. Suppliers and customers don’t influence directly the marketing and business performance and don’t influence indirectly the operational performance. Surprisingly, manufacturing involvement didn’t influence any kind of new product development’s performance in all scenarios presented. / Este estudo buscou verificar a influencia dos agentes da cadeia de suprimentos no desempenho do desenvolvimento de novos produtos quando os agentes são analisados em conjunto. A motivação desta pesquisa veio de estudos que alertaram para a consideração da integração da cadeia de suprimentos como um constructo multidimensional, englobando o envolvimento da manufatura, fornecedores e clientes no desenvolvimento de novos produtos; e devido à falta de informação sobre as influencias individuais destes agentes no desenvolvimento de novos produtos. Sob essas considerações, buscou-se construir um modelo analítico baseado na Teoria do Capital Social e Capacidade Absortiva, construir hipóteses a partir da revisão da literatura e conectar constructos como cooperação, envolvimento do fornecedor no desenvolvimento de novos produtos (DNP), envolvimento do cliente no DNP, envolvimento da manufatura no DNP, antecipação de novas tecnologias, melhoria contínua, desempenho operacional do DNP, desempenho de mercado do NPD e desempenho de negócio do DNP. Para testar as hipóteses foram consideradas três variáveis moderadoras, tais como turbulência ambiental (baixa, média e alta), indústria (eletrônicos, maquinários e equipamentos de transporte) e localização (América, Europa e Ásia). Para testar o modelo foram usados dados do projeto High Performance Manufacturing que contém 339 empresas das indústrias de eletrônicos, maquinários e equipamentos de transporte, localizadas em onze países. As hipóteses foram testadas por meio da Análise Fatorial Confirmatória (AFC) incluindo a moderação muti-grupo para as três variáveis moderadoras mencionadas anteriormente. Os principais resultados apontaram que as hipóteses relacionadas com cooperação foram confirmadas em ambientes de média turbulência, enquanto as hipóteses relacionadas ao desempenho no DNP foram confirmadas em ambientes de baixa turbulência ambiental e em países asiáticos. Adicionalmente, sob as mesmas condições, fornecedores, clientes e manufatura influenciam diferentemente no desempenho de novos produtos. Assim, o envolvimento de fornecedores influencia diretamente no desempenho operacional e indiretamente no desempenho de mercado e de negócio em baixos níveis de turbulência ambiental, na indústria de equipamentos de transporte em países da Americanos e Europeus. De igual forma, o envolvimento do cliente influenciou diretamente no desempenho operacional e indiretamente no desempenho de mercado e do negócio em médio nível de turbulência ambiental, na indústria de maquinários e em países Asiáticos. Fornecedores e clientes não influenciam diretamente no desempenho de mercado e do negócio e não influenciam indiretamente no desempenho operacional. O envolvimento da manufatura não influenciou nenhum tipo de desempenho do desenvolvimento de novos produtos em todos os cenários testados.

A presente pesquisa visa investigar o envolvimento do usuário final no desenvolvimento de um Sistema de Informação (SI) e sua influência na adoção do SI. Para tanto, realizou-se uma revisão sistemática, em que foram analisados 133 artigos e cujo resultado é a proposição de uma modificação do Modelo de Aceitação de Tecnologia (TAM) incluindo variáveis relativas ao envolvimento do usuário: situacional e intrínseco. Em seguida, foi realizado o teste do modelo proposto a partir de uma survey com 114 respondentes, cujos dados foram analisados através de Análise Fatorial Exploratória (EFA), Análise Fatorial Confirmatória (CFA) e Modelagem por Equações Estruturais (SEM). O teste permitiu inferir que as hipóteses suscitadas estavam corretas e que o envolvimento do usuário é significativo dentro do contexto de adoção de um SI. Por fim, realizou-se um projeto de experimentos fatorial (DOE) fracionado para verificar de que forma envolvimento situacional e intrínseco estão relacionados Evidenciou-se que a composição do efeito de fatores principais e de interações duplas das atividades do envolvimento situacional explica até 57% da variação do envolvimento intrínseco. As principais contribuições teóricas da dissertação versam sobre a consistência aportada pelos métodos utilizados. O subsídio teórico aportado pela revisão sistemática permitiu elaborar relações teóricas com segurança. A utilização conjunta de EFA e CFA é indicada para conferir robustez à pesquisa. Da mesma forma, a modelagem por equações estruturais apresentou utilidade no contexto da pesquisa, embora se indique cuidado ao realizar as modificações no modelo para que se adeque aos parâmetros de qualidade da análise. Por fim, a realização de um projeto de experimento fatorial fracionado é algo incomum na literatura de adoção de SI, mas foi útil para verificação da qualidade da interação entre os tipos de envolvimento, bem como a verificação de quais fatores devem ser evitados. / The present research aims to understand the end user involvement in the Information System (IS) development influence in IS adoption by proposing and testing a specific theoretical model. A systematic review was carried out in which 133 articles were analyzed and its result is a Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) modification proposition. This model includes variables related to the user's involvement: situational involvement and intrinsic involvement. Afterwards, the test of the proposed model was carried out from a survey with 114 respondents, whose data were analyzed through Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The test allowed inferring that the hypotheses raised were correct and that user involvement is significant within IS adoption context. Finally, a fractional factorial design of experiments (DOE) with seven factors was done to verify how two types of involvement are related. It was evidenced that the composition of the effect of situational involvement major factors and double interactions explains up to 57% of intrinsic involvement variation The main theoretical contributions of the dissertation are about the consistency provided by the methods used. The theoretical subsidy provided by the systematic review allowed development of theoretical relations with safety. The combined EFA and CFA use is strongly indicated to give robustness to the research. Likewise, SEM presented significant utility in research context, although it is indicated caution when making model modifications to fit analysis quality parameters. Finally, fractional factorial DOE with seven factors is uncommon in the literature, but it was extra useful to verify interaction quality between types of involvement.

A presente pesquisa visa investigar o envolvimento do usuário final no desenvolvimento de um Sistema de Informação (SI) e sua influência na adoção do SI. Para tanto, realizou-se uma revisão sistemática, em que foram analisados 133 artigos e cujo resultado é a proposição de uma modificação do Modelo de Aceitação de Tecnologia (TAM) incluindo variáveis relativas ao envolvimento do usuário: situacional e intrínseco. Em seguida, foi realizado o teste do modelo proposto a partir de uma survey com 114 respondentes, cujos dados foram analisados através de Análise Fatorial Exploratória (EFA), Análise Fatorial Confirmatória (CFA) e Modelagem por Equações Estruturais (SEM). O teste permitiu inferir que as hipóteses suscitadas estavam corretas e que o envolvimento do usuário é significativo dentro do contexto de adoção de um SI. Por fim, realizou-se um projeto de experimentos fatorial (DOE) fracionado para verificar de que forma envolvimento situacional e intrínseco estão relacionados Evidenciou-se que a composição do efeito de fatores principais e de interações duplas das atividades do envolvimento situacional explica até 57% da variação do envolvimento intrínseco. As principais contribuições teóricas da dissertação versam sobre a consistência aportada pelos métodos utilizados. O subsídio teórico aportado pela revisão sistemática permitiu elaborar relações teóricas com segurança. A utilização conjunta de EFA e CFA é indicada para conferir robustez à pesquisa. Da mesma forma, a modelagem por equações estruturais apresentou utilidade no contexto da pesquisa, embora se indique cuidado ao realizar as modificações no modelo para que se adeque aos parâmetros de qualidade da análise. Por fim, a realização de um projeto de experimento fatorial fracionado é algo incomum na literatura de adoção de SI, mas foi útil para verificação da qualidade da interação entre os tipos de envolvimento, bem como a verificação de quais fatores devem ser evitados. / The present research aims to understand the end user involvement in the Information System (IS) development influence in IS adoption by proposing and testing a specific theoretical model. A systematic review was carried out in which 133 articles were analyzed and its result is a Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) modification proposition. This model includes variables related to the user's involvement: situational involvement and intrinsic involvement. Afterwards, the test of the proposed model was carried out from a survey with 114 respondents, whose data were analyzed through Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The test allowed inferring that the hypotheses raised were correct and that user involvement is significant within IS adoption context. Finally, a fractional factorial design of experiments (DOE) with seven factors was done to verify how two types of involvement are related. It was evidenced that the composition of the effect of situational involvement major factors and double interactions explains up to 57% of intrinsic involvement variation The main theoretical contributions of the dissertation are about the consistency provided by the methods used. The theoretical subsidy provided by the systematic review allowed development of theoretical relations with safety. The combined EFA and CFA use is strongly indicated to give robustness to the research. Likewise, SEM presented significant utility in research context, although it is indicated caution when making model modifications to fit analysis quality parameters. Finally, fractional factorial DOE with seven factors is uncommon in the literature, but it was extra useful to verify interaction quality between types of involvement.

In recent years, the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been widely studied. Scholars agree that employee involvement is crucial for successful implementation of CSR, however complexities exist as employee involvement in CSR is not always evident in organisations. While existing literature commonly address the importance of employee involvement, it seldomly devote attention to what factors affect this involvement and as such, does not focus of why certain factors are brought up. Moreover, as employees are key stakeholders in organisations, there is a need of including their voice to contribute with valuable insights to the field. The purpose of this study is first to examine what factors contribute to employee involvement in CSR activities, followed by the second aim of understanding why these factors are considered important with regard to employee involvement. As the nature of the study is qualitative, an interpretivist design is applied, with four companies acting as foundation for data. Primary data is collected through semi-structured interviews with the use of open-ended questions. A thematic approach is applied for analysing data. The empirical findings reveal five factors contributing to employee involvement in CSR and why those factors are important. These are (1) Coordination, as it helps provide clear guidelines anchored in deeper purposes, (2) Conditions, since varying tools enable those guidelines to be implemented, (3) Communication, because it allows employees to learn and be updated regarding CSR, (4) Concretisation of actions, by making CSR visible and easier to apply, and finally, (5) Community, since it fosters the mindset of shared responsibility and solidarity. These findings are visually presented in Figure 2 - The 5C-Model for Employee Involvement in CSR.

This thesis argues that JM Coetzee’s novels, in particular Foe, Disgrace, Elizabeth Costello, Slow Man and Diary of a Bad Year all illustrate the complexity of, and the ethical implications and far-reaching consequences resulting from an attempt to effect change in contemporary postcolonial societies. Coetzee represents contemporary postcolonial society, by using liminal characters and narrators who are required by personal or societal conflict and/or crises to make ethical choices with significant results. Various narrative conventions and strategies, all of which influence the ethical implications drawn up for the characters/narrators, are used by Coetzee. Reactions of these liminal characters to their crises of choice vary. The implications of relations between liminal characters, protagonists and narrators with regard to the Other are examined and evaluated. The study identifies the strategies used by Coetzee to subtly lure the reader into accepting co-responsibility for ethical choices required of the characters and narrators. The various reactions that a reader could have on the ethical imperative of formulating a personal stance on liminality, both in terms of the texts and in contemporary postcolonial society, are also evaluated. In the final instance the study indicates that a certain development in Coetzee’s own ethical views can possibly be linked to certain narrative patterns in the selected novels. / PhD (English), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

This thesis argues that JM Coetzee’s novels, in particular Foe, Disgrace, Elizabeth Costello, Slow Man and Diary of a Bad Year all illustrate the complexity of, and the ethical implications and far-reaching consequences resulting from an attempt to effect change in contemporary postcolonial societies. Coetzee represents contemporary postcolonial society, by using liminal characters and narrators who are required by personal or societal conflict and/or crises to make ethical choices with significant results. Various narrative conventions and strategies, all of which influence the ethical implications drawn up for the characters/narrators, are used by Coetzee. Reactions of these liminal characters to their crises of choice vary. The implications of relations between liminal characters, protagonists and narrators with regard to the Other are examined and evaluated. The study identifies the strategies used by Coetzee to subtly lure the reader into accepting co-responsibility for ethical choices required of the characters and narrators. The various reactions that a reader could have on the ethical imperative of formulating a personal stance on liminality, both in terms of the texts and in contemporary postcolonial society, are also evaluated. In the final instance the study indicates that a certain development in Coetzee’s own ethical views can possibly be linked to certain narrative patterns in the selected novels. / PhD (English), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

The study examines the importance of competitive advantage and change in a dynamic environment. The purpose of the study is to explore how AAI could remain relevant and competitive in the market and examines how regularly changing its approaches to programme delivery could be used to meet needs of the community. The study also focused on the impact of AAI’s pace of change and how the pace impacted on the organization’s effectiveness and quality of programmed delivery. AAI relied on its past successful programmes to address the need of communities in many new countries. However, previously successful programmes did not prove popular when rolled in new markets. AAI programmes are suffering substantial withdrawals from beneficiaries. Beneficiaries are withdrawing from AAI programmes, complaining that the programme delivery approaches were not competitive and innovative. Many new organizations being formed are competing not just for beneficiary markets, but for financial resources (funding), skills and new ideas of delivering programmes. Traditional government type donors are being overtaken by a new crop of donors that is in favour of funding competitive and innovative organizations. Traditional aid organizations are losing market share to smaller agencies. The organizational structure of AAI appears not to support effective and efficient delivery of programmes. With no senior manager at the helm of the department, coordinating activities, sustaining competitive advantage and managing change within the programme department remained a challenge for the organization. A frastruated staff compliments exacerbated the situation. Employee turnover at the key and tactical levels resulted in the department operating without adequate staff and key personnel. This made coordination and cooperation amongst units very difficult. Various programme units operated in silos and mixed messages were sent to community resulting in the community being unhappy with AAI. Community felt that AAI did not consult with them when deciding on how to meet their needs. Community members felt that AAI was taking unilateral decisions and did not care about their feedback and the quality of the programmes delivered. This study further examines how AAI has suffered due to its inability to respond to the needs of community and its failure to adapt to the changing business environment. It reveals how innovation and adaptability is critical for retaining competitive advantage. It reveals how capabilities once built can be eroded by competition through copying. It concludes by revealing the importance of dynamic capabilities in sustaining competitive advantage as well as the need to change in response to the market. / Graduate School of Business Leadership / (M.B.A.)

Enrollment in K-12 online courses continues to rise substantially each year (Evergreen Education Group, 2015). As the number of students taking courses online increases, the number of parents parenting in online courses also increases. This qualitative exploratory case study, bounded by the online program that was studied, was performed to better understand parents’ perceptions of their roles in online high school mathematics courses. Eighty-seven parents participated in an online questionnaire which elicited both quantitative and qualitative responses. Guided by the major tenets of symbolic interactionism theoretical framework, these responses were combined with data from six interviews to investigate why parents chose to enroll their children in online mathematics courses, their expectations pertaining to the online mathematics course, and their perceived roles and responsibilities in the online mathematics course. Through a detailed process of analyzing the questionnaire and interview data, nine themes emerged: (a) participant parents enrolled their children in online mathematics courses to remove their child from a negative social environment and to avoid distractions in the traditional setting; (b) participant parents want their children to have the flexibility to work ahead of their peers; (c) the school should provide quality curriculum and resources for teachers, students, and parents; (d) teachers should identify and address when students need help; (e) teachers should be available and approachable; (f) students should put forth their best effort; (g) students should ask for help when they experience difficulty understanding a new concept; (h) participant parents monitor to make sure their children are completing assignments and asking for help; and (i) participant parents help their children by re-teaching mathematics concepts or encouraging the child to seek help from others. This study has theoretical and practical significance by adding to literature investigating parental roles in mathematics education and providing insight on the nature of parental involvement in an online high school mathematics program. Consistent with relevant literature (Currie-Rubin & Smith, 2014; Curtis, 2013; Thurber, 2013), results of this study call upon educators to invest in efforts that enhance understanding of parents’ perspectives in an effort to strengthen parental involvement in online mathematics courses. INDEX WORDS: Mathematics, Online learning, Online mathematics, K-12 online learning, Virtual learning, Parental involvement, Parental engagement, Parental roles, Interactions, Teacher responsibilities, Student responsibilities, Success, Perceptions of success, Flexibility