Many organizations have been attempting to build a conceptual framework for managing technology, with varying degrees of success. Most begin by consulting leading technology authorities, borrowing elements of their thinking, and adapting these elements to their organizational and personal situations. This dissertation extends this process by using the formal research methodology of multiple perspectives (technical, organizational, personal, and cross-cuing) to build a case-based model of the technology integration process. The research and the model construction benefits from a solid foundation established through a review of technology management and knowledge systems literature. The significant aspects of the research are tied to its objectives which can be divided into academic and industrial classifications: Academic Objectives: 1. Use multiple perspectives in real-time (for input to decisions as events unfold) 2. Focus on a multiple perspectives view of technology integration into an organization Industrial Objectives: 1. Improve project effectiveness by increasing understanding of the technology integration process 2. Establish a model for the integration of a new technology into an organization The development of the case-based model was the primary objective, with the other objectives providing the methodology and subject-matter content to support model development. These four objectives are of interest to three parties: scholars who are interested in the theoretical and methodological aspects of technology integration and inquiring systems, technology developers in general who can benefit from improved means to integrate technology and analyze success/failure, and technology developers in information systems organizations who can obtain specific insight as well as utilize the general industrial results. From the multiple perspectives investigation, thirteen conclusions were reached about the process of integrating knowledge systems into an information systems organization. These conclusions are specific to the case study, but may have general applicability. The multiple perspectives methodology is then presented as the foundation for a technology integration model, on which the technology usage phases of awareness, motivation, and functioning capability can be completed. The model is described and then illustrated with two knowledge systems development project cases. With regards to the research objectives, it is concluded that: 1. The use of multiple perspectives in real-time are difficult and requires practice 2. Because technology integration is dependent upon technical, organization, and personal factors, the use of multiple perspectives are appropriate and useful. Eight of 13 conclusions were dependent upon the cross-cuing process 3. Multiple perspective analysis improved the understanding of the technology integration process. This understanding was sometimes helpful and sometimes harmful to the effectiveness of the integration process 4. The proposed technology integration model, using the awareness, motivation, and functioning capability phases, was developed and exercised. This model proved useful in limited application Finally, a method for organizing and navigating the perspectives, cross-cuing, and conclusions is presented and used.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, Technology, Management, and Policy Program, February 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 539-544). / According to the Packard Commission, "Unreasonably long acquisition cycles -- ten to fifteen years for major weapon systems is a central problem from which most other acquisition Problems stem." Since the commission issued its report in 1986, the time required to develop new military systems has only grown. This research and its recommendations are intended to identify and eliminate the causes of those long development times for military systems. This report addresses a key factor in determining the development time for military projects: the project's initial schedule. Part 1 outlines the current situation, previous efforts to reduce development time, and experiences with cutting development time in the commercial sector. It also documents the military product development process. Part 2 identifies a key area--the schedule development process, and its impact on development time--for in-depth research. Through understanding what is driving the initial project schedule and the impact of the initial project schedule on the eventual development time, the author identifies key drivers of development time. Part 3 presents the results of three surveys and analyzes the processes used to develop a project's initial schedule, the process used to develop a contracted schedule, and the impact of these schedules on actual development time. Part 4 presents observations, draws conclusions, and makes specific recommendations for remedial action. The key barriers to reducing development time for military systems are the lack of importance placed on project schedules; the lack of effective schedule-based information and tools; the lack of schedule-based incentives; and the overriding impact of the funding-based limitations on defense projects. The steps necessary to establish a focus on reducing development time are: 1) recognizing the impact of development time, 2) providing the necessary information for decision makers, 3) providing proper incentives at each organizational level, and finally providing a structure to effectively managce the set of all development projects to ensure that each project can be funded based on its development related requirements. Implementing the recommendations and focusing on reducing development time will force other changes in the acquisition process. The focus on reducing the time to develop and field systems will drive the acquisition system to better meet the needs of our warfighters, more rapidly, and at lower cost. Better, Faster, and Cheaper. Even more importantly, shortening development times is critical to develop and produce with limited resources, the right weapons at the right time to deter or to defeat any potential enemy at any time with the minimum cost to our warfighters. / by Ross McNutt. / Ph.D.

Thesis (M.A. (Information Studies)) -- University of Limpopo, 2020 / International, national and local public and private sectors are shifting into Cloud Computing (CC). This paradigm shift is fuelled by technological and transformational changes of CC in every sector, including libraries. Presently in South Africa, some libraries still operate on the traditional ICT based desktop applications, whereas some hardly notice that CC is part of their daily activities such as carrying out transactions in the cloud services like emailing on Gmail. There is a major gap in terms of adopting and understanding CC technology in public libraries. Hence the study proposed to describe and explore the application and understanding of CC in Polokwane Municipal libraries. The study identified CC tools used by librarians and determined the level of librarians’ knowledge and understanding of CC. The study further measured perceptions of librarians towards CC and established factors influencing the use of CC in libraries. The researcher used a mixed-methods research approach and case study research design, located within postpositivism and interpretivism paradigm. The study was a census in nature because of the small population. Data was collected using questionnaire and interviews from 30 respondents who were librarians and participants who were library managers. Collected data were analysed through descriptive statistics and thematic data analysis. Findings from the study reveal that librarians are not fully using CC but use some of the CC applications such as google scholar, without having detailed knowledge and understanding. The study further found out that Polokwane Municipal libraries fail to adopt CC as a result of limited budget and poor internet connection. The study recommends intensive study on factors influencing adoption of CC, workshops and training for librarians, and initiatives on fundraising within these libraries.

Mitigating energy poverty requires a multi-criteria decision protocol integrating socio-economic, cultural, environmental, and technical systems, influencing energy access, and consumption. Situations of energy poverty are typical in rural and urban poor households, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. These situations are commonly prevalent in informal settlements, sprawling across the periphery of South African metros. Majorities of informal households lack access to grid-electricity and consume local energy sources for their energy needs. There are ongoing government efforts directed to mitigating energy poverty among energy-poor households, such as informal households, through policies and subsidies. Socio-economic and cultural environments also redefine the extent to which energy poverty is mitigated in these households. At present, informal households are constantly and rapidly growing, and as a result, compromise policy effectiveness and other functional strategies, targeting to mitigating energy poverty in these households, and achieving universal energy access in South Africa. Accordingly, this research study adopted a multidisciplinary approach to understanding related matters of energy poverty based on energy policies; electricity access, and pricing; geospatial analysis; energy use and access; and management strategies, with emphasis on informal settlements in South Africa. The first part of the study reviewed energy pro-poor policies, relevant to improving energy access and energy-use efficiency in energy-poor households in South Africa. The study also investigated electricity access (access rates), connection costs (access costs), and electricity tariffs to understand historical precedents and forecast scenarios, and the relationships to gaining complete electricity access by 2030 in the City of Cape Town. The third part mapped and monitored informal areas to understand landscape processes and poverty with energy poverty propagations by Land Cover (LC) and Land-Cover Change (LCC) in the City of Cape Town. The fourth part of the research investigated energy-use patterns and other energy-related matters in a selected informal settlement - a typical case study of an energy-poor community in South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa. The last part proposed and designed a novel System Reinforcing Model (SRM), an Energy Access Sustainability (EAS) management scheme, applicable to mitigating energy poverty in any energy-poor community. The study review validated government efforts in improving energy access in energy-poor households through commissioned energy pro-poor policies but not without drawbacks and proposed recommendations to support future policy reforms. The research also revealed iv A novel systems approach to energy poverty in sub-Saharan Africa: A South African informal settlement as case study. increasing patterns in historical trends of access rates, costs, and tariffs, and relationships between parameters within the assessment period (from 2010 to 2018). The forecast analyses (from 2019 to 2030) demonstrated that total electricity access could not be reached by 2030 without a shift in Business-As-Usual (BAU) patterns in the City of Cape Town. The LC conversions of informal areas revealed poverty with energy poverty propagations through landscape degradation processes - Persistence and Intensification - in the City of Cape Town. The research study further revealed poor energy use patterns and behaviour in the target Settlement. Informal households in the settlement mainly adopted local energy fuels and appliances in satisfying household energy needs. The novel part of the research study described the application of a systems approach - Systems engineering (SE) and Systems Thinking (SsT) - into energy poverty and access processes to developing the new SRM. SE and SsT concept analyses were employed in identifying and integrating four operating system interfaces in these processes into the new SRM. The new SRM simulated complex systems and elements within the interfaces and categorized them as design decisions and system designs. These systems and elements were grounded in energy-use patterns and behaviour, energy access, and EAS, as well as socio-economic, cultural, technical, and environmental features. Arrays of feedback loops in reinforcing patterns in the new SRM modelled the interactions between, and within, design decisions and system designs, for future energy access rebranding, based on significant sustainability outcomes of favourably coalesced system interfaces. SRM was applied in the target settlement, where the model’s significance was validated. Based on its multi-criteria decision approach, among its many features, SRM revealed system parts instigating energy poverty situations and limiting EAS in the target settlement. SRM tailored energy access solutions, whilst integrating significant outcomes of the whole research study, to advancing energy poverty mitigation and EAS in the target settlement. / Thesis (PhD (Technology Management))--University of Pretoria, 2020. / UP Postgraduate Bursary / International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) / Graduate School of Technology Management (GSTM) / PhD (Technology Management) / Unrestricted

US corporations have long recognized university related scientific research as an important source of long term economic growth and technological innovation. This dynamic involvement with industry has drastically increased the university technology transfer and licensing activities, and has stretched the human and financial resources of Technology Management and Licensing Offices of many US universities. This research provides a mechanism that can aid in the complex process of properly assessing university-owned technologies and intellectual properties, to identify those with licensing and commercialization potential for the pursuit of truly important breakthrough discoveries. This research focuses on the university technology licensing and commercialization process from the perspectives of those licensing professionals whose firms' activities are engaged in licensing-in university technologies. The objectives of this research are to: 1.Identify the decision factors and licensing determinants that influence or impact the licensing and commercialization of university technologies. 2.Build and conduct a survey among those licensing professionals involved in the technology licensing process to determine the relative importance of each of the licensing determinants identified in the literature review, and their most current and up to date selection criteria for technologies they license. 3.Develop a framework to assist the University Technology Management & Transfer Office's personnel and other stakeholders in the assessment of the potential viability of the university technologies for licensing and commercialization.

We present an alternative paradigm for utility computing when the delivery of service is subject to binding contracts; the solution we propose is based on resource virtualization and a selfmanagement scheme. A virtual cloud aggregates set virtual machines to work in concert for the tasks specified by the service agreement. A first step for the establishment of a virtual cloud is to create a scale-free overlay network through a biased random walk; scale-free networks enjoy a set of remarkable properties such as: robustness against random failures, favorable scaling, and resilience to congestion, small diameter, and average path length. Constrains such as limits on the cost of per unit of service, total cost, or the requirement to use only “green" computing cycles are then considered when a node of this overlay network decides whether to join the virtual cloud or not. A VIRTUAL CLOUD consists of a subset of the nodes assigned to the tasks specified by a Service Level Agreement, SLA, as well as a virtual interconnection network, or overlay network, for the virtual cloud. SLAs could serve as a congestion control mechanism for an organization providing utility computing; this mechanism allows the system to reject new contracts when there is the danger of overloading the system and failing to fulfill existing contractual obligations. The objective of this thesis is to show that biased random walks in power law networks are capable of responding to dynamic changes of the workload in utility computing.

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The primary purpose of this research is to establish to what extent, if any Zimbabwean companies proactively align their IT strategy with the business strategy as a way of building and sustaining business competitive advantage. The research seeks to provide further insights into the business performance implications of the alignment between IT and business strategies. It also seeks to determine if there are any linkages between strategic alignment, IT managerial resources and IT effectiveness. Last but not least, it examines whether alignment directly leads to increased business performance which Sabherwal & Chan (2001) terms ‘perceived business performance’. / Graduate School of Business Leadership / MBL

Thesis (MAcc (Accountancy))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / The purpose of this assignment is to ascertain whether the COBIT framework is an adequate framework to assist in the governance of virtual private networks. The assignment focuses on whether the framework can ensure the identification of virtual private network-related risks and address IT compliance with policies and statutory regulations. A brief summary of the risks and issues pertaining to the pre-implementation, implementation and post-implementation phases of virtual private networks is included in the assignment. These risks and issues are then individually mapped onto a relevant COBIT control objective. The scope of the assignment does not include the intricacies of how these networks operate, the different types of network topologies or the different technologies used in virtual private networks. It was found that the COBIT framework can be implemented to manage and/or mitigate virtual private network risks.

Information Technology (IT) is often viewed as a resource that is capable of enhancing organizational performance. However, it is difficult for organizations to measure the actual contribution of IT investments. Despite an abundance of literature, there is an insufficiency of generally applicable frameworks and instruments to help organizations definitively assess the relationship among organizational performance, IT-business alignment, and IT governance. Previous studies have emphasized IT-business alignment as an important enabler of organizational effectiveness; however, the direct and indirect effects of IT governance have not been incorporated into these studies. The purpose of this study was (1) to propose a new model that defines the relationships among IT governance, IT-business alignment, and organizational performance, (2) to develop and validate measures for the IT governance and IT-business alignment constructs, and (3) to test this IT Governance-Alignment-Performance or "IT GAP" model. This study made some novel contributions to the understanding of the factors affecting organizational performance. The quest for IT-business alignment in the MIS literature has been based on the presumption that IT contributes directly to organizational performance. However, this study found that although IT-business alignment does contribute to organizational performance, IT governance is an important antecedent of both IT-business alignment and organizational performance. The major contributions of this work are the development and validation of uni-dimensional scales for both IT-business alignment and IT governance, and the confirmation of the validity of the IT GAP model to explain the hypothesized relationships among the three constructs. Future studies may improve upon this research by using different organizations settings, industries, and stakeholders. This study indicates that in order for organizations to improve the value, contribution, and alignment of IT investments they first need to improve the ways in which they govern their IT activities and the processes and mechanisms by which IT decisions are made.