A research report submitted to the Wits Business School, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Management in Innovation Studies November 2014

This dissertation is focused on changes in burial culture in the modern and post-modern era resulting from the introduction of cremation as a new part of burial practices in Western countries. Its aim is to analyze changes in burial culture in the context of social and political developments and through their physical effects on the landscape. In order to evaluate contemporary burial culture in the Western world, the main cause of changes in burial culture was first separately analyzed as a phenomenon that appeared (the conditions for the origins of cremation) and expanded in geographical space (the circumstances under which cremation was adapted in Western countries). The diffusion of innovations theory is used, which is capable of describing and interpreting the process of introducing cremation in its modern form. In the second phase of research, specific manifestations of changes in burial culture caused by the introduction of cremation are examined based on case studies conducted in the field. In the following part of the dissertation findings are generalized, and how the perception and function of cemeteries have changed due to the influence of changes in burial culture and how the significance of the concept of the deathscape - landscapes and places whose appearance and relationships are...

I studien undersöks vilka faktorer som påverkar företags anpassning till m-payment. Mobiltelefonen är tätt sammanlänkad med människan i dagens samhälle. I Sydostasien sker en stor del av betalningar redan med mobiltelefonen. Mobile payment (m-payment) förväntas kunna öka integreringen av fler fenomen än bara betalningstjänster – kundrabatter och kundlojalitet är exempel på det som har nämnts i tidigare forskning. Tidigare forskning är emellertid mestadels inriktad på konsumenter, och därför riktar denna studie in sig på företag. Med hjälp av en enkät med utgångspunkt i Technology Acceptance model samt Diffusion of Innovations model undersöks ett urval om 134 företag med 32 svarande. Svaren kodades sedan i en logistisk regressionsmodell samt en kompletterande faktoranalys. Ingen av variablerna i modellen uppvisar statistisk signifikans vilket gör att resultaten från studien inte förklarar vad som påverkar företagens anpassning till m-payment. Storleken på urvalet kan nämnas som en av huvudförklaringarna till avsaknaden av signifikans. En liknande studie med ett större urval föreslås därför i framtida forskning.

In this study, DiMaggio and Powell's (1983) institutional model of isomorphic change is hypothesized to explain the changes witnessed in educational organizations with regard to the acceptance, implementation and institutionalization of distance learning. In order to show the power of institutional theory in explaining organizational change over time, a comparative qualitative case study methodology is utilized. Document analysis and interviews are used to explore the utility of this isomorphic change model. Each research question seeks to explore different influences of institutional isomorphism, coercive, normative, and mimetic. DiMaggio and Powell (1983) suggest organizations converge on similar practices and behaviors and appear similar to like organizations over time. The appearance of change toward homogeneity is explored through the isomorphic change theory which indentifies three forces, coercive, normative and mimetic, influential in determining how adopted behaviors and pr actices become isomorphically accepted by the organizational field. Coercive isomorphism stems from political influence and organizational legitimacy, often conveyed through laws, regulations, and accreditation processes (or outside agency requirements); normative isomorphism is associated with professional values; and mimetic isomorphism is copying or mimicking behaviors that is a result of organizational response to uncertainty. By examining the organizational field for the presence of these forces and measuring the extent of these forces at various points in time one is able to explain convergence on regularized practices and institutionalized behaviors, or how an organizational field becomes institutionalized, around a particular idea or practice. / The coercive, mimetic, and normative forces present in the field dictate institutionalization and theoretically produce an environment that induces organizational conformity, or homogeneity, through pressure to appear legitimate, competition, mandates associated with funding, and influential professional group and network values. / by Kristi D. Caravella. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2011. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2011. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

This dissertation uses an organizational approach to examine how new ideas are mobilized in order to become radical innovations. I consider the case of elBulli, an avant-garde, three-Michelin star restaurant that has pioneered the "molecular" or "experimental" cuisine movement in the gastronomic field, to inductively study how innovation is made to work. Based on ethnographic data collected over a period of 16-months in Spain and in the United States, my research proposes that systematic and radical innovation is the result of concrete practices and collective efforts that enable new ideas and epistemic practices to be recognized, understood, and legitimated by the public. The research advances a new distinction in innovation studies between new final products and conceptual innovations and proposes that this distinction can contribute to clarify the dynamics behind the advancement of knowledge within a field. Also, I argue that this distinction can serve as a basis for the future development of a general framework of the different dimensions involved in the production of innovation. Throughout the research, I draw comparisons with different fields such as religion, politics, business, art and music to explore the potential applicability of the main insights obtained from my case study to illuminate innovation processes in general.

O XBRL, desde a sua criação em 1998, vem sendo discutido como uma evolução tecnológica para auxiliar na análise e tratamento das informações contábeis e financeiras. Entretanto, essa nova tecnologia não foi completamente incorporada por todos os reguladores nacionais, preparadores e usuários da informação. Desta forma, o objetivo principal desse trabalho consistiu em investigar os obstáculos do processo de implementação do XBRL no Brasil, utilizando como base a teoria da difusão de inovações, proposta por Rogers. Segundo a teoria da adoção e difusão de inovações (Rogers, 2003), os usuários e os vários grupos internos de uma organização assumem papel importante no processo do uso dos sistemas de informação, pois se estes, efetivamente não utilizarem os sistemas implantados, os benefícios potenciais dos sistemas não serão obtidos e sua taxa de adoção não variará com o passar do tempo. Os quatro elementos principais que influenciam a propagação de uma nova ideia são: a inovação, os canais de comunicação, tempo e um sistema social. Estes elementos funcionam em conjunto e a difusão é o processo pelo qual uma inovação é comunicada através de certos canais ao longo do tempo entre os membros de um sistema social. Para investigar os desafios na implementação do XBRL, utilizando a teoria de difusão de inovações, foi realizada uma pesquisa qualitativa, por meio de entrevistas semiestruturadas com profissionais que possuíam conhecimento em XBRL no Brasil e no mundo. Para análise das entrevistas, optou-se pelo método de Análise de Conteúdo com a categorização semântica seguindo as etapas da teoria da difusão de inovações. Os resultados apontaram que a inovação, no caso o XBRL, é de conhecimento das instituições, entretanto, os benefícios, tais como padronização e comparabilidade, ainda não foram alcançados. Como principais barreiras à implementação do XBRL pode-se destacar a questão cultural, o custo de implantação, a disputa de forças nas empresas entre as áreas operacionais e de tecnologia da informação, a escassez de capital humano com conhecimento sobre o tema, impacto tecnológico, processo de convencimento dos envolvidos e o respectivo tempo. Os canais de comunicação para a divulgação do XBRL no Brasil ainda são restritos, sendo o principal fórum para discussão do tema o CONTECSI, promovido anualmente pelo laboratório TECSI da FEA/USP. A criação de uma jurisdição no país não é obrigatória, mas ajudaria no processo de divulgação do XBRL e na manutenção da taxonomia. Com relação ao tempo de implantação do XBRL, sua taxa de adoção e o sistema social, os entrevistados internacionais mencionaram que o tempo médio da implantação do XBRL é de 3 (três) a 5 (cinco) anos, onde o governo e os reguladores são ou deveriam ser os grandes propulsores do XBRL, e a adoção voluntária do XBRL somente funciona por um período de tempo, sendo que após esse período a adoção necessariamente deverá ser obrigatória. / XBRL, since its creation in 1998, has been discussed as a technological evolution to assist in the analysis and treatment of financial information. However, this new technology has not been fully incorporated by all regulators, preparers and information users. The aim of this study was to investigate the obstacles to the XBRL implementation process in Brazil, following the diffusion of innovations theory proposed by Rogers. According to this theory (Rogers, 2003), users and various internal groups within an organization play an important role in the use of information systems processes. However, whether they are not activity, the potential benefits of the systems will not be obtained and their adoption rate will not increase over time. The four main elements that influence the dissemination of a new idea are: innovation, communication channels, time and social system. These elements work with each other and diffusion is the process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over time among the members of a social system. To investigate the challenges in the implementation of XBRL, using the diffusion of innovations theory, qualitative research was undertaken through semi-structured interviews with professionals with expertise in XBRL in Brazil and the world. To analyze the interviews, the method of content analysis with semantic categorization was adopted, following the steps provided this theory. The results indicated that stakeholders are familiar with XBRL, however, the benefits, such as standardization and comparability, have not been achieved yet. Major barriers to implementation of XBRL are the cultural question, the cost of deployment, the battle of the wills between business unit and information technology areas, the lack of knowledge on the subject, the technological impact and time involved. Communication channels for the dissemination of XBRL in Brazil are still limited, CONTECSI has been the principal forum for the discussion of this subject, sponsored annually by the TECSI FEA / USP laboratory. The creation of a jurisdiction in the country is not mandatory, but it would help in the dissemination of the XBRL process and the maintenance of the taxonomy. Regarding implementation time, its rate of adoption and the social system, international specialists have stated that the average deployment time of XBRL is from 3 (three) to 5 (five) years, where the government and the regulators are the major driving force for XBRL. The voluntary adoption of XBRL only works for a period of time, and after that period the adoption would have to become obligatory.

Social media is a cost-effective marketing tool, and in a 2014 survey, 75% of small business owners reported that they used social media to market. However, many of these businesses merely set up social media profiles and do not use social media to its full potential. Microenterprise owners face barriers such as lack of time, financial resources, and marketing knowledge, preventing them from adopting social media as a marketing tool. This multiple case study explored what strategies microenterprise owners in the artisan economy need to market using social media. Data were collected from 5 custom bicycle framebuilders in a Southwestern U.S. state through semistructured interviews with open-ended questions. Company documents and social media reviews were also used for data collection and triangulation. The diffusion of innovations theory was the conceptual framework of this study to aid understanding of framebuilders' social media adoption process and social media usage. Thematic analysis identified 7 themes that emerged from the data: technological competence, the establishment of social media presence, effective utilization of social media platforms, effective communication skills, the establishment of brand identity, time management, and acquisition of external support. The study findings are expected to help artisan microenterprise owners harness social media and, in turn, improve business practices, increase sales, and promote their crafts, which may lead to positive social outcomes. The results of the study will assist artisan microenterprise owners source materials locally from other small businesses, a process that prevents money from leaving the local economy and helps to build strong communities.

In Iowa, the state with the largest percent of its land used for agriculture (90 percent) in the nation, compromised water quality is a chief concern among experts. The primary problem is related to the negative environmental impacts caused by nutrient runoff from fields. Although several innovative land-management practices have demonstrated nutrient reduction potential and other soil health related benefits, the practices are not widely utilized on Iowa farm fields. Thus, water quality is at the center of a contentious debate in the state and many farmers are receiving contradictory advice depending on the source of the information. Media and interpersonal communication channels play a primary role in disseminating environmental risk information to the public and farmers (Katz & Lazarfeld, 1955; Rogers, 2010). However, little is known about the way contradictory risk information may shape farmer’s conceptualizations of the water problems in Iowa. Correspondingly, little is known regarding the individuals who are most influential to farmer’s behaviors related to these water issues. To address the potential communication process problems resulting from the clashing ideologies related to the environment and agriculture, this study seeks to investigate the flow of information and networks of influence within the agricultural community in Eastern Iowa. Three studies are conducted to address media, interpersonal, and risk communication components at play in this context. Because mass media are a key source of risk information for the public (McCallum, Hammond, & Covello, 1991; Morton & Duck, 2001; Ho et al., 2013) the first study consists of a thematic textual analysis of online news articles about Iowa’s water quality. A total of 305 articles, published by the Des Moines Register (DMR), Iowa Farmer Today (IFT), and the Farm Bureau Spokesman (FBS), are examined. Themes related to key narratives about Iowa’s water quality problems and the way risks and uncertainty are conveyed in the articles is also investigated. A combination of qualitative and quantitative data was collected to document the types of organizations and key spokespeople used as informational sources in the articles. Findings demonstrate that some messages simultaneously place the blame for causing and the responsibility for solving the problem on the farmers; while others suggest that nutrient excesses are not anthropogenic, are natural, expected, weather dependent, and uncontrollable. Based on the media sources themselves, and the organizations and individuals cited in the articles, this distinction reflects a preeminent pro-agriculture versus pro-environment ideological divide in Iowa. The second study examines farmers’ perspectives on the nutrient issues in Iowa, including their risk perceptions, and preferred sources of information on water quality, both mediated and interpersonal. The study utilizes intercept interviews conducted over a two-month period between July and September 2016 in Middle and Easter Iowa. Analysis of risk perceptions, uncertainty levels, and current mitigation practices revealed a pattern of lower environmental risk perceptions associated with adoption of fewer nutrient reducing practices, and greater uncertainty regarding current nutrient levels. The third and final study built upon data from the previous study and involved in-depth interviews with the individuals who were identified as influential to farmer’s water related land management practices. Definitions of influencers from the level of the individual (i.e., self-identification as an influential), community (i.e., identification of an influential by other farmers), and media narratives (i.e., identification of an influential in an article or media source), in addition to definitions of influentials from previous literature were compared. Findings revealed that influence is highly related to employment position and opportunity to communicate with multiple, various farmers. Personal motivation for engaging in persuasive communication efforts with farmers was revealed as an important factor which may help strengthen theoretical conceptualizations of influential individuals within social networks. This project is a study of environmental communication products, processes, and effects and sought to disentangle the relationships between the risk representation and perception, and influence within agricultural network information flow—an area of research currently lacking. Results help extend scholarship in these areas and illuminate the differing conceptualizations of these variables by mainstream media, agricultural industry media, influential individuals, and agricultural producers themselves. This improved understanding paves the way for subsequent research and intervention efforts to communicate more productively with farmers. The effects of such efforts could help redirect negativity and blame away from farmers, and towards a more productive and holistic approach to solving Iowa’s water quality problems.

Abstract not available

This is an investigation of the diffusion of new information and communication technologies (ICTs), particularly the Internet, by community broadcasting organisations. In order to understand ICT diffusion processes in community radio stations, this study focuses on a particular project which saw a large scale diffusion of Internet technologies across Australian community radio stations at the beginning of 1998. The Community Access Network (CAN) project was an initiative of the Australian government, and saw funding for the provision of an Internet ready computer to every licensed community radio station in Australia. In approaching this subject, this research employed social constructivist assumptions, expecting that ICT use, and in particular the CAN workstations, would vary from station to station, reflecting the cultural and organisational conditions in each environment. As such the study aimed to understand the ways in which ICT technologies have been used and understood by community ralo station management and their participants. Since community radio stations are organisations, this study employed Everett Rogers' framework for understanding diffusion of innovation processes within organisations, acknowledging that organisational variables act on innovation behaviour in a manner over and above that of the aggregate of individual members of the organisation. This approach provided scope for the investigation and comparison of organisational factors, as well as meaning making on the part of individual participants. The research was based on data collected from two case studies, chosen on the basis of their divergent social, cultural and organisational environments; 4EB in Brisbane, a metropolitan, ethnic community radio station; and 2NCR-FM in Lismore, a regional, generalist community radio station. Ethnographic methods of observation and interviews were employed to collect qualitative data, providing insider accounts of community broadcaster's use, experience, and understanding of the new technologies in their day-to-day broadcast practices. By looking at two different community radio stations, this research acknowledges points of similarity and difference across these organisational situations, identifying factors that contribute to variation in technology take-up in particular station programming emphasis, perception of need, organisational resources, role of innovation champions, training, ICT policy and broadcaster variables. Evidence drawn from these case studies, and the specific ICT investigated, contributes to a general understanding of factors in the diffusion of ICT technologies across the community broadcast sector, providing a frame of reference for anticipating subsequent innovation diffusion. In particular, there are implications for future diffusion projects which plan to deploy new technologies across the community radio sector. It also contextualises community broadcasting and ICT use within the field of new technology uptake by broadcast sectors in general.