abstract: Scholars have identified that journalists have a strong occupational identity, leading to ideological conceptions of the rules of the field. However, while journalists are often the first to embrace technological change, they often do so in different ways than most people. With the arrival of digital technologies, journalists are often faced with practices that run contrary to long-established ideology, and they often carry traditional practices over to new media. Using the theoretical lens of Giddens’s structuration theory, this research identifies traditional journalism structures that encourage or discourage journalists to interact with their followers on the social network Twitter. Using constant comparative analysis to interpret 23 interviews with contemporary journalists, this study identified multiple dualities between the use of Twitter and traditional newsgathering. It also recognized a cognitive dissonance among journalists who use Twitter. Though they can see advantages to using the platform to engage with followers, particularly other journalists and members of their audience, journalists do not seek out Twitter interaction and often avoid or resist it. Finally, this dissertation suggests three walls that block journalists from engaging in the Internet’s facilitation of personal connectivity, engagement, and a true community forum with followers. Although a wall of objectivity has somewhat been broached by Twitter use, walls of storytelling and routine and traditional news values continue to hold strong. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Journalism and Mass Communication 2015

Dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Information Technology Department of Information Technology in the Faculty of Informatics and Design at Cape Peninsula University of Technology / Project Management (PM) is defined as the application of tools and techniques to direct the use of diverse resources toward the accomplishment of a task within time, cost and quality constraints. In the information age, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has emerged as an enabling tool, resource and a facilitator of the PM practice. With ICT as a major enabler of efficiencies in PM, the adoption of new ICT systems and tools have improved processes and outcomes in PM. The main argument is that cloud computing has a great potential to improve efficiencies in PM. The problem at the time of writing however, was that it was not clear whether this innovation was understood and maximally exploited by the PM community of practice in South Africa. Efficiency of PM is critical to competitiveness and growth in all sectors. Thus, the objective of this study was to explore the adoption of ICT systems and tools particularly cloud computing, to advance the practical objectives PM in the private sector. Due to the socio-technical nature of the current study, the interpretivist approach together with a qualitative research method, as well as the purposive sampling technique were adopted for the study. In essence, 8 respondents consisting of 2 academic experts, 4 technology literate project managers and 2 client service providers of cloud computing were selected. Together with the Structuration Theory (ST) as an analytical framework and the content analysis technique was used to contextualise and to analyse data. Findings show an acceptable level of awareness of cloud computing in the private sector. Nevertheless, negative perceptions that may threaten the adoption of cloud computing in PM in the private sector also emerged in the findings. Otherwise, PM has gained popularity in the sector. As the findings further reflect however, standards have tended to be compromised by cynics in the discipline. Positive developments are that the project failure rate is on the decline, which is further enhanced by the adoption of new innovative technological tools and systems. Rigid organisational norms also re-enforce resistance to change. It is, thus, recommended for project managers to review cloud-computing benefits in accordance with their requirements. In conclusion then, resources have not only proved to be a significant matter in PM, but also instrumental in advancing PM efficiencies, leading to improved PM successes. In the light of emergent shortfalls however, executive managers and project managers should keep themselves informed and be open to changes that can advance the organisational course.

O objetivo deste trabalho é contribuir para uma compreensão mais clara sobre o desenvolvimento de intranets e portais corporativos nas organizações, através da análise do principal determinante do sucesso desses projetos: o uso efetivo da tecnologia. Para atingir esse objetivo, esta pesquisa adota uma visão multidimensional, considerando tanto a perspectiva individual como a organizacional. O suporte teórico advém de extensa revisão das pesquisas já publicadas sobre o tema, compreendendo elementos retirados da teoria da estruturação de Giddens e de modelos consagrados de aceitação da tecnologia, como UTAUT e TAM. A metodologia consiste de estudo de caso em três organizações do setor público, com estruturas bastante semelhantes, mas que desenvolveram suas intranets de modo independente. A análise dos contextos organizacionais demonstrou que o uso da tecnologia nos casos estudados, na prática, ainda é muito limitado. Os resultados da pesquisa revelam que esse uso é resultado da conjunção de complexos elementos. Além das deficiências na funcionalidade da tecnologia, os indivíduos não reconheceram a utilidade prática das intranets e, do mesmo modo, não se sentem estimulados a usar a tecnologia. Essa realidade é consequência de problemas na gestão da tecnologia, como a falta de participação efetiva de setores estratégicos, que aliados a aspectos estruturais das organizações, como a divisão entre os setores e a acentuada especialização funcional, contribuem para a manutenção desse quadro. Em sua maioria, esses elementos constituem práticas já institucionalizadas nas organizações, reforçadas pelo comportamento de seus membros no fluir de suas interações. / The goal of this paper is to help provide a clearer understanding of the development of intranets and corporate portals in organizations, by examining the main determinant behind the success of these projects: the effective use of technology. To achieve this goal, this study uses a multidimensional approach, considering both the individual and organizational perspective. The theoretical support is based on an extensive review of already published research on the subject, including elements drawn from Gidden's theory of structuration and renowned technology acceptance models, such as UTAUT and TAM. The methodology consists of a case study in three public sector organizations, with very similar structures, but which developed their intranets independently. The analysis of the organizational contexts demonstrated that the use of technology in the cases studied is still, in practice, very limited. The research findings show that using it is the result of a complex conjunction of elements. Besides the shortcomings in the functionality of the technology, people have not recognized the usefulness of intranets and, likewise, do not feel attracted to use the technology. This reality is a consequence of problems in technology management, such as lack of effective participation of strategic sectors, which combined with structural aspects of organizations, like the division between sectors and accentuated job specialization, contribute toward maintaining this state of affairs. Most of these elements are already institutionalized practices in organizations, reinforced by the behavior of their members in the course of their interactions.

Submitted by Irene Nascimento (irene.kessia@ufpe.br) on 2017-04-10T18:23:48Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Dissertação de Mestrado_PROPAD_UFPE_Ijon Santos.pdf: 3007544 bytes, checksum: c798b542d8e9f98334c33dbb694d633e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-04-10T18:23:48Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Dissertação de Mestrado_PROPAD_UFPE_Ijon Santos.pdf: 3007544 bytes, checksum: c798b542d8e9f98334c33dbb694d633e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-05-31 / A presente dissertação busca explicar os fatores condicionantes para a adoção efetiva de Big Data e Business Analytics por parte das Organizações Privadas de Pernambuco em termos de atitudes, aptidão e resultados. Para esse fim, um apanhado teórico-conceitual é reunido sobre o avanço no tráfego de dados na era da Revolução Digital e a predisposição das organizações em se apropriar das tecnologias compatíveis de informação e comunicação que transformam o modus faciendi e o modus pensandi da sociedade. No corpus de pesquisa se destacam duas teorias fundamentadoras: A Teoria da Mediação Cognitiva e a Teoria da Estruturação (base do Modelo de Estruturação de Tecnologia). Ambas exploradas no cerne da questão da dualidade tecnologia-uso, em que o convívio com artefatos tecnológicos em interação com as ações humanas inicia um processo mútuo de influência entre esses elementos, constituindo uma nova modalidade de mediação denominada Hipercultura. Em um método quantitativo de pesquisa, tais construtos serão relacionados entre si e investigados em 183 líderes estratégicos pernambucanos, além de comparados com indivíduos equivalentes de outras naturalidades e nacionalidades por meio de um formulário especialmente preparado. Os resultados obtidos indicam o nível de prontidão das empresas sobre este tema e a relação com o sucesso ou fracasso, quando considerados os níveis de hipercultura, de capacidade analítica e das condições de Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação existentes nas empresas. Ao final do estudo, são levantados possíveis desdobramentos para os conceitos introduzidos. / The present dissertation seeks to explain the determining factors for the effective adoption of Big Data and Business Analytics on Pernambuco’s Private Organization in terms of attitudes, skills and results. For this purpose, a theoretical-conceptual caught is gathered about the progress in data traffic in the Digital Revolution age and the willingness of organizations to take ownership of supported technologies of information and communication that transform the modus faciendi and the modus pensandi of the society. In the research corpus stand two essential theories: The Cognitive Mediation Networks Theory and the Structuration Theory (base Structurational Model of Technology). Both explored the matter of duality-use technology, in which the interaction with technological artifacts interacting with human actions starts a process of mutual influence between these elements, constituting a new form of mediation called Hyperculture. In a quantitative search method, such constructs will be related to each other and investigated 183 strategic leaders from Pernambuco, and equivalents compared to individuals with other places of birth and nationality using a specially prepared form. The results may indicate the level of readiness of the companies on this issue and if there is, or not, relation with success or failure, when considering the hyperculture levels, analytical capacity and conditions of information and communication technologies in the existing companies. At the end of the study a several possible developments, implications, and applications for the concepts introduced are presented.

Today's technological development means that organizations are constantly evolving. This means that the market, which the organizations operate in, is constantly changing and becoming more complex to interpret. This development increases the demand to forecast possible outcomes and receive real-time information from the operations – i.e., obtain the most accurate data for decision-support. To make this possible, organizations need so-called ‘decision support systems’; IT-tools that rapidly provide decision makers with information based on relevant data. To obtain the highest possible value from the systems, they must seamlessly integrate and interact with the organization. This study examines how decision support systems, organizations and users relate to each other in an organizational context. The aim is to provide an insight into the limitations and possibilities of human behaviour, technological development and organizational structure to create and enable relevant and effective decision support systems. The paper’s theoretical framework is based on Orlikowski’s (1992) structurational model. The empirical material consists of semi-structured interviews, which are analysed based on Orlikowski’s model. The results show that although there is a common understanding on how the different factors should interact in order for the decision support systems to function the respondents neglected their own influence as users of the systems. / Dagens teknikutveckling medför att organisationer hela tiden utvecklas och förändras. Det i sin tur medför att den marknad organisationer agerar på förändras och blir alltmer komplex att tolka. Denna utveckling ökar efterfrågan att förutspå sannolika utfall, få information om verksamheten i realtid, kort sagt få ett korrekt beslutsunderlag. För att detta ska vara möjligt behövs IT-verktyg som snabbt kan förse beslutsfattare med underlag som grundar sig på relevanta data, så kallade beslutsstödsystem. För att få ut mesta möjliga värde från beslutsstödsystemen ställs höga krav på att de integreras och samverkar med organisationen. I studien undersöks hur beslutsstödsystem, organisationer och användare förhåller sig till varandra i en organisatorisk kontext. Målet är att ge en inblick i de begränsningar och möjligheter människors agerande, teknikens utveckling och organisationens struktur skapar för att möjliggöra relevanta och effektiva system för beslutsstöd. Studiens teoretiska ramverk tar sin utgångspunkt i Orlikowskis (1992) struktureringsmodell. Det empiriska materialet utgörs av semistrukturerade intervjuer som analyseras med utgångspunkt från Orlikowskis modell. Resultatet visar att även om det överlag finns en förståelse för hur olika faktorer bör samspela för att beslutsstödsystemen ska fungera, tonar respondenterna ner sin egen betydelse som användare av systemen.

One of the key challenges in information and communication technologies for socio-economic development (ICT4D) is that the contribution of ICT to development is difficult to describe and assess. This is particularly true when looking beyond the immediate context of an ICT4D project, to its impact on the larger social system within which the project is introduced. This problem can benefit from a systems approach. Systems thinking is concerned with the performance of the total system, when changes are made to a part of the system. Systems thinking recognises that the performance of a subsystem relative to its own goals does not necessarily lead to increased performance of the larger system. However, in the field of ICT4D, systems approaches are seldom used, and appropriate ways to describe and assess a social system are lacking. The study aims to contribute theoretically as well as empirically to the social systems body of knowledge in ICT4D. A particular social systems approach or framework is developed, based on structuration theory and autopoiesis. The framework is attractive because it provides a way to describe and assess the sustainability and state of development of the total system. The theoretical component of the thesis concerns the development of a social systems framework. This is done in a conceptual study that draws on systems literature and social theory. The empirical component concerns the application of the systems framework in an ICT4D case study. A descriptive, longitudinal case study is performed in a rural settlement in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. Data is collected by means of interviews and participant observation during several visits to the settlement. Data analysis is done making use of the concepts in the systems framework. The result of the data analysis is a description of the larger social systems where the ICT4D project is implemented, as systems served, and the ICT4D project, as serving system. By studying the mutual influences between the serving system and systems served, the contribution to socio-economic development of the serving system is assessed. The study’s research contribution is to indicate how a social systems framework can be used to assess an ICT4D project’s contribution to the socio-economic development of the social systems it serves. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Informatics / unrestricted

This study examined how isiXhosa-speaking women street traders in Cape Town's Langa Township exercised agency in responding to similar structural constraints and opportunities that affected their livelihoods. Drawing on Giddens's Structuration Theory and Sen's Capabilities Approach, I unpacked and conceptualised agency as five dimensions (reflexivity, motivation, rationality, purposive action and transformative capacity). This analytical framework was then used to assess the ways in which women from a poor township community exercised their agency as street traders. A case study methodology (n=25) was adopted using participant observation and in-depth interviews. Miles and Huberman's thematic coding approach guided the qualitative analysis. The study found that structurally imposed constraints were rooted in class, multiple sources of power dynamics, and material constraints related to health; while opportunities emanated from market mechanisms of supply and demand, community social support systems in the form of social capital and social networks, family support and statutory social welfare programmes. Other key findings included resistance to patriarchy, cultural norms and practices, such as submission to abusive partners and unreasonable demands from extended family members. The findings report structure and agency as mutually constitutive in so far as familial circumstances, previous work experience, social capital, educational achievements and temporality either reinforced or diminished the participants' agency. Three profiles of agency among the women traders emerged from the data. The profiles demonstrated varying degrees of enablement (most enabled, moderately enabled and least enabled) and that individual agency was a distinguishing factor. Reflexivity, as a dimension of agency, presented as more fluid and malleable than the other four dimensions. The findings show that agency is reasonably elastic and it can expand capabilities and opportunities for enablement. Finally, the study proposed a diagnostic tool for assessing and enhancing agency with potential applications in entrepreneurial training for development. My study contributes to a theoretical understanding of the concept of agency, the role it plays in development at a micro-level and criteria for assessment. Furthermore, lessons learnt from the profiles can be applied to development practice and entrepreneurial training among African women traders.

CHARLES UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES Master's Thesis 2021 Daniela Bonilla Machado Page 1 of 5 CHARLES UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC AND SOCIAL POLICY Changes in Asylum-Seeking Policies Through the Lenses of the Structuration Theory: The Case of the 'Salvini Decree' in Italy Master's thesis Author: Daniela Bonilla Machado Study programme: Public and Social Policy Supervisor: Doc. Marie Jelínková Year of defence: September 2021 Page 2 of 5 Declaration 1. I hereby declares that I compiled this thesis independently, using only the listed resources and literature. 2. I hereby declare that the thesis has not been used to obtain any other academic title. 3. I fully agree to his work being used for study and scientific purposes. Prague, 27th of July 2021 Daniela Bonilla Machado Page 3 of 5 References BONILLA MACHADO, Daniela. Changes in Asylum-Seeking Policies Through the Lenses of the Structuration Theory: The Case of the 'Salvini Decree' in Italy. Prague, 2021. 68 pages. Master's thesis (Mgr.). Charles University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Public and Social Policy. Supervisor Marie Jelínková, PhD. Length of the thesis: 113,886 Page 4 of 5 Abstract This paper explores the complex relationship between the structuration theory, proposed by Anthony Giddens and the...

In today’s complex society, organizational change is crucial for organizations’ survival. Previous research regarding organizational change has studied restructuration, mergers and cultural change. However, a research gap was identified in understanding a planned organizational change through the theoretical framework Four Flows. Therefore, a qualitative case study was conducted at an organization that recently changed from a flat to a hierarchical structure. The aim of the study was to create an understanding through Four Flows for how communicative flows at a digital agency, Digitalbyrån, changed in connection to the implementation of a new organizational structure. The methods used in the study were semi-structured interviews in combination with a qualitative content analysis. An organizational document was also collected for background information. The theoretical framework applied consisted of Robert McPhee and Pamela Zaug’s (2000) CCO theory Four Flows, and selected notions from Anthony Giddens’ (1984) Structuration theory. The results from the study showed that communicative flows at Digitalbyrån changed to a certain degree when comparing the communicative flows pre- and post-restructuring. More specifically, a moderate change was found in the flows membership negotiation, self-structuring and activity coordination and a significant change was found in the flow institutional positioning. Furthermore, the study showed that implemented change in an organization and change in communicative flows do not always change accordingly. Thus, the study demonstrated that actual change is constituted through the communicative flows, rather than being the result of the implemented change per se.

abstract: Previous researchers documented that music teachers negotiate their identities throughout their career, but none of these studies examined identity negotiation from the perspective of both music teachers and their students. Assuming that music teachers and students negotiate their identities through the same interactions, how do music teachers and students together shape their social context and continually pursue possibilities for who they are becoming? I conducted an instrumental case study to explore the encounters of one veteran orchestra teacher—Steve—with three of his students to understand how they negotiated their identities together and pursued possibilities for who they were becoming. I used strong structuration theory (Stones, 2005) as a theoretical lens to organize and frame my study. Each time Steve assessed students and placed them within the orchestra’s seating hierarchy, he experienced a tension in his identity as a music teacher. To relieve this tension, Steve changed the orchestra seating structure from a hierarchical-ranked structure to a randomized-rotating structure. This allowed him to provide individualized feedback to students as they rotated into the front row without issuing social sanctions. But this structural change also disrupted some of the students’ identities as musicians and the labels they used to position themselves in orchestra. Steve’s insistence that the student sitting in first-chair was the “leader for the day” continued an element of the hierarchical seating that conflicted with the students’ understandings of meritocracy and leadership. Additionally, by decoupling the students’ seating from the playing tests, Steve delegitimized his primary form of assessment. Based on my findings, I discuss implications for music education practice, and music teacher education. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Music Education 2019