E-government, in both developed and developing countries, has become the focus of governments' agenda because it offers enormous opportunities to reform the public sector and improve its performance. However, the evolution of e-government initiatives in developing countries is not at a satisfactory level which indicates that there are still enormous barriers and concerns that need to be addressed and solved.The major aim of this research is to investigate the supply-side stakeholders' perspectives of drivers and barriers forces that stimulate or impede the development of e-government initiative in Jordan and recommend strategies to e-government leaders on how to overcome and manage the encountered forces.This is a case study based qualitative research that employs semi-structured interviews as the primary source for data collection. In addition, template analysis approach and NVivo qualitative software have been used to analyze the gathered data. Moreover, a novel conceptual framework was initially developed by the researcher in order to be used as a helpful guide in the process of data collection and analysis. The framework was then applied to the research context to establish an overall view of the key drivers and barriers that influence the implementation of e-government at national level in Jordan.Research findings indicate that there are various drivers and barriers that affect the development of e-government initiative in Jordan. Most of the research findings confirmed what was already revealed by previous studies. However, this study added new and unique findings that were not discovered before including; The Holy Month of Ramadan, Ministers Reshuffling, Religious Beliefs, Preach Without Practicing, Wasta, and Improper Use of Technology. These new findings emerged distinctively from the Jordanian, Arabic and Islamic contexts. Finally, various recommendations have been proposed to demonstrate how challenges could be handled in practice. The value of this study is threefold. First, it contributes as new reference in e-government literature with respect to drivers and barriers to e-government in developing countries in general and in Arab nations in particular. Second, it proposes a conceptual framework that could be used as a tool to understand drivers and barriers that affect the development of e-government and their correlation to e-government initiatives success or failure. Third, it motivates changes in practice as it provides practical recommendations and guidance for practitioners and leaders of e-government in Jordan on how they should take actions to overcome and manage the encountered forces in order to reduce the possibility of the initiative failure and enhance the chance of its success.

The aim of this study is to examine homosexual men’s identities, and focus on how they form their identities in fiction when it comes to being both homosexual and religious. In order to be able to approach and study this phenomenon, three research questions are used: how is identity constructed discursively when it comes to the combination of homo- sexuality and religiosity, what affects the formation of homosexual men’s religious/non- religious identity and how do homosexuality and religiosity affect one another in identity formation? The theory used in this study is discourse theory which includes the following concepts that have been chosen and used to analyze the material: antagonism, hegemonic interven- tion, hegemony, interpellation, subject position and the chain of equivalence. Together with these concepts and with template analysis style, a qualitative discourse analysis is made to categorize and analyze the findings made in the material. The material in this study consists of Jonas Gardell’s novel Torka aldrig tårar utan handskar, 1. Kärleken and Tony Kushner’s play script Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes. The material was chosen because of the themes homosexuality and religiosity are includ- ed, and thus were eligible to be used in this study. Three religious groups are being touched upon in this study, namely Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormonism and Judaism. This study showed that the relationship between the identities homosexual and religious is mostly antagonistic in the material used in this study, but there was an exception in once case where the combination of these two identities seemed to be possible. The an- tagonistic relationship between these identities lead to a hegemonic intervention where the individual had to choose the one or the other of the identities in order to reach hegem- ony. In most cases homosexual and religious were not included in the same chain of equivalence, and seemed to rule each other out. / Syftet i denna studie var att göra en kvalitativ diskursanalys av homosexuella mäns identiteter och fokusera på relationen mellan identiteterna homosexuell och religiös hos homosexuella män i skönlitteratur. För att kunna närma sig och analysera detta fenomen formulerades tre frågor: hur konstrueras identitet diskursivt när det gäller kombinationen av homosexualitet och religiositet, vad påverkar formandet av homosexuella mäns religiös/icke-religiös identitet och hur påverkar homosexualitet och religiositet varandra i formandet av identitet? Den teori som används i denna studie är diskursteori som innehåller de följande begrepp som har valts och använts för att kunna analysera materialet: antagonism, hegemonisk intervention, hegemoni, interpellation, subjektsposition och ekviva- lenskedja. Dessa begrepp tillsammans med template analysis style användes för att kategorisera och göra en kvalitativ diskursanalys av materialet. Materialet i denna studie består av Jonas Gardells roman Torka aldrig tårar utan handskar, 1. Kärleken och Tony Kushners pjäsmanus Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes. Materialet valdes på grund av de gemensamma teman, homosexualitet och religiositet, som förekommer i båda verken. De tre religiösa grupper som förekommer i dessa verk är Jehovas vittnen, mormonism och judendom. Resultatet visar att relationen mellan identiteterna homosexuell och religiös mestadels är antagonistisk i det material som använts i studien, men det fanns ett undantag där kombinationen av dessa två identiteter var möjlig. Den antagonist- iska relationen mellan dessa två identiteter ledde till en hegemonisk intervention där individen var tvungen att välja den ena eller den andra av de två identiteterna för att kunna uppnå hegemoni. I majoriteten av fallen var inte homosexuell och religiös inkluderade i samma ekvivalenskedja, utan de utesluter snarare varandra.

This thesis contends that communities of practice (CoPs) are an effective instrument for supporting collaborative activities in science-based small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that often have no formal strategy for knowledge acquisition and innovation. A review of the existing body of knowledge has indicated that this matter has not been the subject of thorough, in-depth research; and that this issue is important, given the relatively high level of efficacy that has been afforded to the role of CoPs in the innovation processes of large organizations. Indeed, the original communities of practice model had little to say about innovation per se; however, more recent theorizations have shown that CoPs can contribute to organizational innovation. This research makes a number of contributions to our understanding of CoPs as an enabler of knowledge acquisition and innovation: (i) theoretical: recontextualizing CoPs and demonstrating their applicability in science-based SMEs; (ii) methodological: extending the use of thematic template analysis; and (iii) applied: through the development of a contextualized framework for constructing CoPs in science-based SMEs. An exploratory case study of science-based SMEs was conducted using thematic template analysis. The study employed critical case sampling, a technique that focuses on selecting cases on the basis that they make a point dramatically or because, as in this instance, they are important in relation to the research questions In depth interviews were conducted with 25 individuals employed in technical (i.e. scientists and engineers) and commercial roles (i.e. operations, finance and purchasing). Although there was no evidence of managed CoPs, a range of emergent/informal and cultivated CoPs were leveraged for a variety of purposes, including facilitating knowledge acquisition, enhancing absorptive capacity, and improving the firm’s ability to generate innovative solutions. Apprentice-based CoPs emerged that supported individual learning, and both intra and inter-organizational CoPs emerged to support a range of radical and incremental innovation activities. Social capital was leveraged in CoPs, generating trust and reciprocity between SMEs and customer organizations, thus enhancing knowledge-sharing and innovative potential. Finally, this research confirms that CoPs are the privileged locus for knowledge acquisition and innovation in science-based SMEs.

abstract: Exiting prostitution is a process whereby women gradually leave prostitution after a number of environmental, relational, and cognitive changes have taken place. Most women attempting to leave street prostitution reenter five or more times before successfully exiting, if they are able to at all. Prostitution-exiting programs are designed to alleviate barriers to exiting, but several studies indicate only about 20-25% of participants enrolled in such programs are successful. There is little quantitative knowledge on the prostitution exiting process and current literature lacks a testable theory of exiting. This mixed-methods study defined and operationalized key cognitive processes by applying the Integrative Model of Behavioral Prediction (IMBP) to measure intentions to exit street-level prostitution. Intentions are thought to be a determinant of behavior and hypothesized as a function of attitudes, norms, and efficacy beliefs. The primary research objective was to measure and test a theory-driven hypothesis examining intentions to exit prostitution. To accomplish these aims, interviews were conducted with 16 men and women involved in prostitution to better capture the latent nuances of exiting (e.g., attitudinal changes, normative influence). These data informed the design of a quantitative instrument that was pilot-tested with a group of former prostitutes and reviewed by experts in the field. The quantitative phase focused on validating the instrument and testing the theory in a full latent variable structural equation model with a sample of 160 former and active prostitutes. Ultimately, the theory and instrument developed in this study will lay the foundation to test interventions for street prostituted women. Prior research has only been able to describe, but not explain or predict, the prostitution exiting process. This study fills a gap in literature by providing a quantitative examination of women's intentions to leave prostitution. The results contribute to our understanding of the cognitive changes that occur when a person leaves prostitution, and the validated instrument may be used as an intervention assessment or an exit prediction tool. Success in predicting an individual's passage through the exiting process could have important and far-reaching implications on recidivism policies or interventions for this vulnerable group of women. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Social Work 2013

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This thesis explores leadership from an inverted or inner perspective of a leader. It draws on humanistic, psychological approaches to leadership, and develops a theory of systemic, constructivist leadership. While systemic, constructivist concepts are well known and accepted methods in therapy, counselling, coaching, and organisational consulting, in leadership there is still a gap between theory and practise. In this study systemic, constructivist ideas such as self-organization of human systems, radical constructivism, and systems theory are transferred, through an experiential learning project to leadership practise. Previous research (Steinkellner, 2005) indicated that in addition to the understanding of systemic theory and the application of systemic interventions, the specific mental attitude of a leader is required. So this thesis (1) explores the qualities of the mental attitude of a systemic, constructivist leader, (2) reflects on the transformation of the self of a leader in an experiential learning process, and (3) develops a theory of systemic, constructivist leadership. The methodology is heuristic inquiry, which involves the subjectivity of the researcher, and includes introspective procedures such as self-searching, self-dialogue, and self-discovery (Moustakas, 1990). Its focus on the inner perspective of a leader is unusual, if not unique. Various concepts from humanistic psychology including tacit knowledge (Polanyi & Sen, 2009), awareness (Perls, 1973), and focusing (Gendlin, 2003) were applied to transcend the concept of rationality both in science and in business. The main contributions of this study are: the description of a theory of systemic, constructivist leadership and; the design of appropriate training to implement this.

This thesis explores leadership from an inverted or inner perspective of a leader. It draws on humanistic, psychological approaches to leadership, and develops a theory of systemic, constructivist leadership. While systemic, constructivist concepts are well known and accepted methods in therapy, counselling, coaching, and organisational consulting, in leadership there is still a gap between theory and practise. In this study systemic, constructivist ideas such as self-organization of human systems, radical constructivism, and systems theory are transferred, through an experiential learning project to leadership practise. Previous research (Steinkellner, 2005) indicated that in addition to the understanding of systemic theory and the application of systemic interventions, the specific mental attitude of a leader is required. So this thesis (1) explores the qualities of the mental attitude of a systemic, constructivist leader, (2) reflects on the transformation of the self of a leader in an experiential learning process, and (3) develops a theory of systemic, constructivist leadership. The methodology is heuristic inquiry, which involves the subjectivity of the researcher, and includes introspective procedures such as self-searching, self-dialogue, and self-discovery (Moustakas, 1990). Its focus on the inner perspective of a leader is unusual, if not unique. Various concepts from humanistic psychology including tacit knowledge (Polanyi & Sen, 2009), awareness (Perls, 1973), and focusing (Gendlin, 2003) were applied to transcend the concept of rationality both in science and in business. The main contributions of this study are: the description of a theory of systemic, constructivist leadership and; the design of appropriate training to implement this.

The research aims to study how the communication context within the Arab cultures influences the employees' perception of equity and reaction to inequity. Specifically, the study explores how employees from Arab cultural backgrounds communicate with each other within the Saudi working context; and how they collect, interpret and use the different contextual information - from the contexts in which they live and work - in order to make judgements about issues related to the perception of equity and reaction to inequity. In order to study the research topic, a conceptual framework is developed to reconcile between Equity Theory, Social Comparison Theory and Hall's Context Model; and as a base serving the process of designing/choosing the methods of collecting and analysing the data. Three main research questions are developed which are about (i) how the communication context is related to employees' willingness and ability to react to inequity (ii) how the communication context shapes the nature of inequity reactions executed by employees and (iii) how the communication context is related to the way equity is perceived among employees. A modified version of critical realism is adopted to focus on exploring the mechanisms, within the communication context, which influence the perception of equity and reaction to inequity. A combination of retroduction and abduction is developed in a sense that retroduction is used to direct the research toward exploring the structure and mechanisms within the research setting, while abduction is used to draw conclusions about how the phenomena studied in the research are evolving by the structure and mechanisms. A mixed methods approach is adopted in the research. The research includes data from thirty-five semi-structured interviews which are conducted in mainly three Saudi private-sector organisations located in Jeddah with twenty-nine male employees and six male managers of six different Arab nationalities. Template analysis is used to analyse the qualitative interview transcripts and field notes, while cluster analysis is used to group the research participants based on their quantitative responses. The research finds that there are no clear-cut areas separating the activities linked to the perception of equity and reaction to inequity. I also conclude that the perception of equity norms and equity comparison components can sometimes be separate activities. Some factors such as the religious interpretation, face-saving, and contextual norms and powers influence the employees' willingness to react to inequity by altering the way in which those employees perceive equity norms. Here, unwillingness decisions are often made not as a result of personal conviction but as a compromise based on the personal evaluation of the surrounding context, realising the inability of the self to react to such situations in the first place. Thus, it can be concluded that inability to react to inequity can reduce the employees' willingness to react against under-rewarded situations. The process of perceiving equity comparison components is found to be related to the type of reaction adopted to re-establish the equity; this relationship is represented by groups affiliated by a hidden factor or factors, which is more influential than the ethnicity/nationality of the group's members. The research makes a methodological contribution to knowledge by suggesting a new approach to study human relations through the communication context; a conceptual contribution by combining the concepts of equity perception, social comparison and communication context in one conceptual framework; and an empirical contribution by providing a fresh insight to contextual themes in the Saudi working environment.

Small businesses, particularly growing small businesses, are regarded by policy makers and academics alike as being important sources of wealth creation, employment generation and innovation. Yet, few small businesses grow. One potential way of explaining why so many businesses do not grow is through the notion of 'barriers'. Previous studies on barriers typically identify and predict what kinds of barriers affect business growth, rather than attempt to explain how or why this is the case, if indeed it is the case at all. This thesis aims to elaborate on our understanding of barriers to small business growth. Two qualitative inductive interview-based studies were conducted in St. Petersburg Russia; the first was conducted in 2003, the second in 2005. Using semi-structured interviews in the second study (the main study), 27 owner-managers of small businesses in Russia were asked if they had intentions to grow the business, how they grew their businesses or intended to do so, and what, if anything, interfered with this process. The purpose of the study was two-fold: first, its purpose was to examine barriers from the perspective of individual owner-managers, with an emphasis on the meaning of barriers and the context in which they are perceived, and second to explore and examine how or the ways in which perceived barriers may influence owner-managers’ growth intentions and behaviours. Data were analysed using template analysis mainly, drawing on interpretive phenomenological analysis and matrix analysis. Based on the accounts of owner-managers, barriers were found to work in different ways to shape intentions to grow or not to grow, and as well to shape intention realization. How this occurred depended partly on owner-managers’ perceptions of the institutional environment. Findings suggest that the relationship between barriers and small business growth is complex. It is, nevertheless, a relationship which purports to be a fruitful area of study, one in which future research might further our understanding of small business growth from a continuing examination of barriers, particularly in relation to intentions, in relation to how meaningful barriers are perceived to be, and in relation to the context in which they are perceived.