Thesis (M. Com.)--University of Canterbury, 2006. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 95-104). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph.D.)(Technology Management)--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Includes summary. Includes bibliographical references. Available on the Internet via the World Wide Web.

This thesis is a narrative account of the development of my living theory of practice as a teacher and information communications technologies (ICT) consultant with a national awarding body. Within my two workplaces I experience myself as a living contradiction when my values are denied in practice, in relation to the prohibition of full participation of all participants through the suppression of their voices, or by the imposition of too-rapid organisational change. The thesis accounts for how I have attempted to transform these unsatisfactory situations into life-affirming practices for all through exercising my educational influence in learning for personal and organisational sustainability. The significance of my research lies in my capacity to explain how I hold myself accountable for my improved practice as I develop emancipatory pedagogies and conditions that nurture personal and social wellbeing. I have generated my living theory of emancipatory practice through finding ways to enable myself and others to work in solidarity to exercise our agency through communicative action (Habermas 1975). This is accomplished through realising the potentials of ICT as a form of communicative action within actual and virtual communities of practice, which becomes a significant feature of the originality of my contribution to knowledge of my field. Originality is extended in the production of evidence to test the validity of my theorization of ICT as political action. The multimedia evidence base is continued in the production of a multimedia thesis that accompanies and embeds the linguistic form of the thesis, a communication of my parallel understanding of traditional forms of theory and pedagogy as subsets of their wider inclusional and relational forms. The thesis also explores how values may be clarified in the course of their emergence in practice and transformed into living standards of judgement.

Ph.D. (Engineering Management) / This thesis explores the association between language, culture, and technological innovation. This is accomplished by examining primary data, and literature that is based on empirical research on the interplay between language, culture, and technological innovation. Multi, intra, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary perspectives are accordingly studied. The intent is to identify, assess and explicate language and cultural factors that support or act as barriers to technological innovativeness. The nature of the role played by these factors is also explored and explained. The methodology employed incorporates both the indigenous and foreign experiences through literature, case studies and primary data. The aim of this study is to understand better how to assist those nations that aspire to be technologically innovative. This research considers the characteristics of the innovation process, and the views and/or characteristics of the innovator. In other words, despite that a historically innovative person or nation and a user or a process of innovation, may all not know precisely why there is an innovation, they can still contribute to the inquiry. Relevant literature, case studies and interviews are used to identify the distinctive patterns and behaviours that characterize innovative people and processes. The thesis creates a theoretical framework that is useful for identifying the intrinsic nature and the rate of influence at various stages during the role played by language and cultural factors in technological innovation. The main contribution and conclusion of this thesis is that, language and/or cultural backgrounds do in fact positively contribute to technological innovation. However, when it comes to promoting and marketing the innovation, the business language plays a more significant role. It is further demonstrated that one’s national or primary culture, in response to needs, exposure, challenges, attitudes, beliefs, and values does play a critical role during the idea generation phase of the technological innovation process.

Magister Bibliothecologiae - MBibl / The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of information and communications technology change on the management and operations of academic libraries. How academic libraries deal with this phenomenon and strategies that could be considered to help deal with an environment where technology constantly change. This study focused on the impact of information and communications technology driven change on the academic library e.g. staff, clients, physical resources and information resources. / South Africa

No description available.

No description available.

Thesis (M.A.)--The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2009. / Directed by Susan Walcott; submitted to the Dept. of Geography. Title from PDF t.p. (viewed May 17, 2010). Includes bibliographical references (p. 75-81).

With the growing trend in use of 3D laser scanning technology for data collection, it is important to study the various potential applications of this revolutionary technology. One such application is the measurement of road roughness at both large and small scales. At larger extents, terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) is compared to several current techniques to measure road profiles including digital levels, inclinometers, and inertial profilers. An overall indicator of roughness (e.g. International Roughness Index, IRI) can be obtained from these road profiles and is used by state DOTs to determine the pavement quality. Since TLS is able to collect a large, dense set of data relatively quickly, this technology could provide states with an additional tool to both measure pavement roughness and collect data for the entire roadway. TLS has the added benefit of being able to generate multiple profiles across the roadway efficiently. At a fine scale, micron resolution 3D laser scanners can be utilized to determine the influence of asphalt mix designs on the roughness of the pavement. Of particular interest is the selection of predominant aggregate size within the mix. Results showed that TLS can determine pavement profiles and comparable IRI results to those from current methods. The elevation values collected within the profile were accurate within expected ranges. However, cross correlations, which take into account the location of the roughness, were poor, indicating that TLS is not an effective method to determine a reference profile. TLS was used to determine the cross slopes across the roadway, something that cannot be done with data from an inclinometer or inertial profiler. / Graduation date: 2012 / Zipped file contains 4 file types. Excel files (.xlsx and .xls) can be opened using Microsoft Excel. OBJ files (.obj) are geometry definition file formats intended to be imported into a software program to manipulate 3D laser scans and can also be opened using Notepad++ or another powerful text editor. Notepad++ is freely available for download on the Web. PVP files (.pvp) are project files that contain project settings and profile data and can be opened with ProVAL, a freely available engineering software application used to view and analyze roadway profiles. ERD files (.ERD) are standard file formats used for storing numbers in tabular form and can be opened with Notepad++ or another powerful text editor. These files contain roadway profiles and are designed to be imported into ProVAL.

This multi-year, multi-city investigation seeks to examine how and why civic associations are employing information communication technologies (ICTs) in their work and the extent to which these uses are transforming urban ‘civic space.’ Rather than being passive non-state actors shaped by technologies in the ‘networked city,’ civic environmental associations are treated in this study as co-evolving ‘actor-networks’ that are both shaping and shaped by their ICT practices. This study systematically examines how ICT-linked tools or platforms are reconfiguring civic associations and civic space in the three ‘tiger city’ settings of Hong Kong, Singapore and Taipei. This investigation employs grounded theory, case study methods, and actor-network theory to examine the co-evolution of ICTs and civic environmental associations. The concept of info-sociations (ICT-associations) is employed in constructing a socio-technical model for analysis of the fast-evolving ICT practices of civic associations. Such an approach suggests that diverse forms of ICT-linked praxis—where civic ideals and knowledge are being put into practice—involves multimodal digital practices; alongside blended or multiplexed physical and virtual practices; and multiscalar practices. The info-sociational model compares ICT-linked organizational, participatory and spatial practices at the associational level by examining digitally-linked: internal and external organizational change; reconfigurations in the public sphere and cyberactivism; scalar transformations and associational alliance formations. Analyses of city-specific ‘civic space’ storylines; alongside a discussion of the problems and potentialities of ICT-linked practices also contributes to an integrated info-sociational model. An info-sociational approach therefore serves to examine transformations in knowledge, power and space as civic environmentalists employ ICTs. The info-sociational model supports an analysis of three pairs of age-distinct civic environmental associations in Hong Kong, Singapore and Taipei. These six cases (as units of analysis) were selected for their diverse civic environmental activities; their differences in age; and their variety of ICT-linked practices, including uses for: public deliberations, and mobilizing activism; networked alliance formations; identifying environmental and spatial issues in city regions; and creating alternative green media. Employing the info-sociational model in analyses of the six civic environmental associations led to the observations that: ‘externally-oriented’ ICT-linked practices were of greater importance than ‘internal practices’ amongst civic associations; that groups prioritized ‘digital green public sphere’ practices compared to ‘cyberactivism’; and these associations employed ICTs more frequently for ‘alliance-building’ than for ‘spatial transformations.’ Several of the cases illustrated how ICTs can enhance or augment existing alliances and potentially support new types of civic-cyber formations. By touching on questions of knowledge, power and space an info-sociational approach therefore can contribute to integrated explanations of how and why civic associations are using and (re)shaping ICTs in pursuit of their diverse aims for more livable and just cities. / published_or_final_version / Urban Planning and Design / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy