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The purpose of this study was to determine whether principals influenced the use of technology by innovative teachers. Data were collected electronically using a survey instrument and an email that contained eight openended questions. Fifty teachers responded to the survey. In addition, 32 of the 50 teachers responded to the openended questions. Analyses of the data indicated that principals were perceived by the teacher to be influential in their use of technology if they demonstrated the following conditions or competencies: (a) development of a technology plan and organized a technology committee, (b) support of and participation in professional development, (c) encouragement of and recognition for best practices in technology, (d) knowledge and use of technology, and (e) providing resources available for technology. No significant difference was found between the perceived influence principals had on innovative teachers and the size of the school or the community served by the school. In addition to these analyses, summaries of the 50 technology programs associated with the respective respondents were included.

Adoption of manufacturing technologies have been cited as an important competitive strategy for successful firms. This study assessed the wood household furniture industry for its current level of technology adoption, examined the impact of competitive variables on technology adoption and strategy formation, as well as, characteristics of innovators or early adopters within the industry. The results provide both insight into the technological direction of this industry and factors influencing the adoption of innovations by industrial organizations. The U.S. wood household furniture industry was surveyed concerning their recent equipment purchases, future purchase plans, and adoption of a list of 21 innovative technologies. Respondents listed recent equipment purchases within the finish machining area of the mill, particularly with automatic controls, as providing them with the most important benefits of increased efficiency and product quality. Respondents indicated that the functional areas of finish machining and the rough mill will receive the majority of new equipment over the next five years with automatic controls increasing in importance over time. A competitive-policy contingent model of technology adoption was developed and empirically tested. Innovativeness of firms was accessed by the number of technologies adopted from a set developed by industry experts. Empirical results suggest that organizational policy is dependent on the competitive conditions under which it was formed and that policy has an important effect on the innovativeness of an organization. Communication variables (signal frequency, cosmopliteness, and professionalization) were found to exhibit greater direct and indirect effects on innovation than industry structural variables with the exception of firm size. Characteristics of early adopters were contrasted with those of later adopters of technologies within the furniture industry based upon their adoption of thirteen processing technologies. Early adopters were found to differ significantly from later adopters on firm size, technological expertise, technological progressiveness, opinion leadership, information sources, and cosmopolitanism of the decision making group. The influence of technology push versus marketing pull strategies on firms was examined in an empirical study. Results of cluster analysis indicate that firms do align themselves along these strategic dimensions and can be contrasted on key characteristics; such as, demographics, company performance and environmental uncertainty. / Ph. D.

Over the years, innovations such as community-oriented policing, problem-oriented policing, and hot spots policing have enabled the police to make substantial crime control and reduction gains. However, empirical research has shown that police occasionally misuse these strategies in practice. One possible solution is the co-implementation of these strategies with crime analysis. Yet, little is known about this relationship in practice. Using national survey data collected by the Police Executive Research Forum in 2008 from a sample of over 1,000 United States police agencies this thesis explores this relationship. Results of bivariate analysis between agency commitment to and integration of crime analysis within operations and the use of innovative strategies revealed positive relationships. Additionally, bivariate analysis between agency use of accountability mechanisms and innovative strategies revealed a strong positive relationship. Multivariate regression analysis revealed the use of accountability mechanisms and commitment to crime analysis as strong positive predictors of police agency innovation. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2014. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Information and communication technologies hope to revolutionize the healthcare industry with innovative and affordable solutions with a focus on pervasive care. Wearable sensors products can provide monitoring in a natural environment with a constant stream of information, enriching healthcare practices and enabling better pervasive care. Wearable sensor technologies could monitor patients' mobility, gait, tremor, daily activity and other health indicators in real time that could allow for simple, non-invasive, tracking of spine care that may lead to increased patient engagement, integration, feedback, post-surgery analysis, monitoring of patient's condition, patient's data extraction and analysis and possibly aiding in better diagnosis, intervention, adherence to treatment for the betterment of quality of care. This research focuses on the assessment of technology adoption potential of medical devices particular to tracking the mobility of patients of neurosurgery and orthopedics. Wearable medical devices that track the mobility of patients after spinal procedures could help surgeons in providing post-operative care, analysis of treatment outcomes and patient mobility. The assessment of those devices by physicians is a complex process associated with various perspectives and criteria. Therefore, the objective of this research is to assess the potential for technology adoption of those wearable medical devices through development of a hierarchical decision-making model (HDM) that incorporates the relevant perspectives and criteria encompassing the needs of hospital neurological surgery and orthopedics departments. The proposed research builds on an existing body of knowledge researched through literature review and background of the field and expands the health technology assessment field by implementation of a holistic, comprehensive and multi-perspective approach to technology assessment in wearable sensor products adoption for pervasive care in neurosurgery and orthopedics. The Hierarchical Decision Model (HDM) approach is used to break the problem down into hierarchical levels and then calculate the alternatives using pairwise comparison scales and a judgment quantification technique. Inconsistencies, disagreement, sensitivity and scenario analysis are performed as well. HDM research software is created with Ruby and R to facilitate the computation of some of these important model parameters to higher precision than is available in current statistical analysis software packages or extensions targeted for decision making. Patient perspective dominates as the main perspective for the technology adoption potential of wearable devices for pervasive care in neurosurgery and orthopedics, followed by technical and financial perspectives. Valedo, a wearable device aimed to relieve back pain through exercises, motivation and mobility tracking, received the highest ranking for adoption potential, while other devices also received high relative scores. The framework could serve as a supplementary technology assessment tool and could be tested in other settings: private, small clinic etc. with the experts and special needs of physicians in particular healthcare departments.

As people age there is an overwhelming desire to remain in the familiar surroundings of the family home, what is called Aging in Place. But inevitable changes that occur in their lives force the aging adults and their families to consider a move to some form of institutional living. Living at a distance from one another, the adult child attempts to maintain peace of mind concerning the well-being of their aging parents but finds it to be a difficult task. I propose to address this problem by first proposing that technology can help minimize the anxieties experienced by the adult child concerning their aging parents well being by appropriately presenting information on the aging parents daily life. This technological design concept does not require that the aging parent input, or for that matter, do anything other than live their lives as they normally live them. Further, this technology provides this information in a manner that is continuously available to the adult child for either opportunistic or planned perusal. As a single instance of the technological design concept proposed above, the Digital Family Portrait embeds well-being related information into an item commonly found in homes, the picture in a picture frame. The Digital Family Portrait was first tested in a wizard-of-oz field trial, then redesigned based on the outcome of this initial field trial coupled with the results of two lab-based studies and a further informal evaluation. The redesigned Digital Family Portrait was built and installed in the home of an adult child while the sensors to drive it were installed in an aging parents home. A field trial of this installation lasting for one year was conducted. The result of this field trial was to find that the Digital Family Portrait was an acceptable means of resolving certain peace of mind issues for the adult child while not raising privacy. It was found to be used in a socially acceptable manner by the adult child while the aging parent to reported feeling less lonely.

In the light of increasing promotion of new information and communications technologies (ICTs) as a tool for economic development, this thesis examines the relationship between ICTs, rural businesses and rural development among rural engineering and manufacturing firms in South Warwickshire and the Cotswolds. Despite high levels of general interest in this subject area, previous research has tended to concentrate on the technical (supply-side) issues of these new technologies; the human (demand-side) aspect has, so far, been largely overlooked. The devised theoretical framework distinguishes between influential factors internal and external to the firm. Empirical research draws upon humanistic behavioural concepts to investigate ICT adoption decision-making processes at the micro-level of individual sectors, enterprises and entrepreneurs in rural areas, and to evaluate the role of external agencies. Firms in the study area are diverse in terms of their ICT adoption and use, and entrepreneurial characteristic and linkages with other businesses and organizations are found to be major determinants of technology requirements and uptake. Two types of firms are identified: inwardly-oriented firms, with local buyer and supplier contacts, which make little use of technology; and outwardly-oriented firms, which use ICTs more intensively and have geographically dispersed networks of customers and suppliers. While notable levels of general awareness of ICTs exist among rural businesses, the initial financial outlay involved, coupled with a lack of knowledge of existing technological solutions and support, and a need for skills training, remain significant disincentives to ICT uptake among smaller firms. Agencies currently lag behind local businesses in terms of their ICT awareness and use, and understanding of the potential development implications of technology. In many cases there is a mis-match between agencies' perceptions of ICT use in rural firms and their response to this area of business support. Although there is a recognition amongst agencies that their client firms are applying new technologies in their business processes, ICTs are seen by the majority of agencies as a future component of business strategy. Thus, appropriate support for firms implementing ICTs is not yet widely accessible. Findings suggest that ICT implementation is not appropriate in all firms; requirements and applications vary widely and there is a need for a tailored approach by agencies and policy makers which takes account of the uniqueness of entrepreneur and firm characteristics.

O tema inovação vem sendo cada vez mais difundido e disseminado globalmente, o que por um lado é benéfico quanto à sua popularização e desmistificação, por outro lado corre o risco de se tornar uma referência retórica e superficial. Diante desse cenário, várias definições surgem e o conceito de inovação ultrapassa a barreira puramente tecnológica de produtos e processos para agregar questões de marketing e organizacionais. Contudo, os órgãos de fomento à inovação ainda sentem dificuldade na identificação do que é ou não inovação. Isso se dá pela falta de processos estruturados de análise que possibilitem maior segurança na avaliação de projetos ou propostas que envolvam oportunidades de inovação. Nesse contexto, o presente trabalho tem como principal objetivo propor um processo de análise para apoiar à caracterização de uma potencial inovação, identificando se ela é uma oportunidade de inovação e de que tipo.Trata-se de uma pesquisa aplicada de caráter exploratório. Como método foi utilizado a pesquisa bibliográfica e de campo, como técnica a testagem com 15 especialistas no tema, com abordagem prioritariamente qualitativa. Entre os resultados principais podem ser citados a proposta de processo de análise para apoio à caracterização da inovação e distinção de seus tipos composto por três blocos para análise, e a contribuição para definição do tipo de inovação em áreas de fronteira. Entretanto, observou-se ainda uma dificuldade de convergência, mesmo entre especialistas, para alguns casos avaliados, o que abre uma oportunidade para novas pesquisas no tema. / The innovation theme is becoming more widespread and disseminated globally, which in one hand is beneficial for their popularization and demystification, but on another hand runs the risk of becoming a rhetoric and superficial reference. On this given scenario, several definitions arise and the innovation concept goes beyond the purely technological barrier products and processes to aggregate marketing and some others organizational aspects. However, innovation promotion agencies still have issues on identify what is or is not innovation. That can be explained due to the lack of structured processes of analysis that enable safer proposals or projects evaluation involving innovation opportunities. On that context, the present work has as main objective to propose an analysis process to give support to a potential innovation characterization, identifying whether it is an innovation opportunity and at which typology it mainly fits. This is an applied and exploratory research. The used method was literature research and field testing as a technique with 15 experts on the subject, with primarily qualitative approach. Among the main results can be cited the analysis proposal process to sustain the innovation characterization and distinction of its typology, comprising three analysis blocks; and the contribution to define the innovation type in frontier areas. However, there was still identified a convergence difficulties, even among experts, for some cases evaluated, which opens an opportunity for further research on the topic. These cases are also described on this present work.

O tema inovação vem sendo cada vez mais difundido e disseminado globalmente, o que por um lado é benéfico quanto à sua popularização e desmistificação, por outro lado corre o risco de se tornar uma referência retórica e superficial. Diante desse cenário, várias definições surgem e o conceito de inovação ultrapassa a barreira puramente tecnológica de produtos e processos para agregar questões de marketing e organizacionais. Contudo, os órgãos de fomento à inovação ainda sentem dificuldade na identificação do que é ou não inovação. Isso se dá pela falta de processos estruturados de análise que possibilitem maior segurança na avaliação de projetos ou propostas que envolvam oportunidades de inovação. Nesse contexto, o presente trabalho tem como principal objetivo propor um processo de análise para apoiar à caracterização de uma potencial inovação, identificando se ela é uma oportunidade de inovação e de que tipo.Trata-se de uma pesquisa aplicada de caráter exploratório. Como método foi utilizado a pesquisa bibliográfica e de campo, como técnica a testagem com 15 especialistas no tema, com abordagem prioritariamente qualitativa. Entre os resultados principais podem ser citados a proposta de processo de análise para apoio à caracterização da inovação e distinção de seus tipos composto por três blocos para análise, e a contribuição para definição do tipo de inovação em áreas de fronteira. Entretanto, observou-se ainda uma dificuldade de convergência, mesmo entre especialistas, para alguns casos avaliados, o que abre uma oportunidade para novas pesquisas no tema. / The innovation theme is becoming more widespread and disseminated globally, which in one hand is beneficial for their popularization and demystification, but on another hand runs the risk of becoming a rhetoric and superficial reference. On this given scenario, several definitions arise and the innovation concept goes beyond the purely technological barrier products and processes to aggregate marketing and some others organizational aspects. However, innovation promotion agencies still have issues on identify what is or is not innovation. That can be explained due to the lack of structured processes of analysis that enable safer proposals or projects evaluation involving innovation opportunities. On that context, the present work has as main objective to propose an analysis process to give support to a potential innovation characterization, identifying whether it is an innovation opportunity and at which typology it mainly fits. This is an applied and exploratory research. The used method was literature research and field testing as a technique with 15 experts on the subject, with primarily qualitative approach. Among the main results can be cited the analysis proposal process to sustain the innovation characterization and distinction of its typology, comprising three analysis blocks; and the contribution to define the innovation type in frontier areas. However, there was still identified a convergence difficulties, even among experts, for some cases evaluated, which opens an opportunity for further research on the topic. These cases are also described on this present work.