There are many issues involved in implementing Information and Communications Technology (ICT) projects in general, and infrastructure (ICT/I) projects in particular. Failures are still common despite advances in project management tools, and increased ICT sophistication. Executive sponsorship and support is acknowledged to make a difference to the success or failure of these kinds of projects. Little has been written on the views of non-ICT executives about the issues they have with ICT/I projects, which have particular challenges because of their highly technical nature. This research sought to develop a theory not only about what the issues are, from the non-ICT executive perspective, but also how these issues appear in, and may affect the outcomes of, such projects. An interpretive study using single units of analysis within multiple cases, to build an inductively derived theory, was the approach chosen for this research. An adapted grounded theory analysis, following the original Glaser and Strauss (1967) philosophy, was used to analyse data extracted from interviews with fifteen chief executives or equivalents. Three themes arose out of this process: Executive Perceptions of ICT/I; Strategic Alignment of ICT/I projects;ICT/I Project Outcomes The themes had quite strong connections between them. Jargon Barriers between ICT staff and these executives, affected the executives perceptions of ICT/I and were strong contributing factors for a poor strategic alignment between ICT/I projects and business goals. The poor alignment was primarily caused as a result of low levels of executive engagement with these projects, because they couldn’t understand the “techno-speak” of their ICT people. The consequence was consistently low satisfaction with ICT/I project life cycle outcomes. There was a very real difference between the satisfaction levels of executives who had made definite efforts to overcome, or deal with, the ICT/I jargon barriers, and those who hadn’t. there was a very real difference between the satisfaction levels of executives who had made definite efforts to overcome, or deal with, the ICT/I jargon barriers, and those who hadn’t. The substantive theory developed from this work is that: Jargon barriers created by ICT staff generate poor relationships between ICT staff and their executives, which in turn can cause low levels of executive engagement with their infrastructure projects, and consequently affect executive perceptions about the outcomes of these projects.

There are many issues involved in implementing Information and Communications Technology (ICT) projects in general, and infrastructure (ICT/I) projects in particular. Failures are still common despite advances in project management tools, and increased ICT sophistication. Executive sponsorship and support is acknowledged to make a difference to the success or failure of these kinds of projects. Little has been written on the views of non-ICT executives about the issues they have with ICT/I projects, which have particular challenges because of their highly technical nature. This research sought to develop a theory not only about what the issues are, from the non-ICT executive perspective, but also how these issues appear in, and may affect the outcomes of, such projects. An interpretive study using single units of analysis within multiple cases, to build an inductively derived theory, was the approach chosen for this research. An adapted grounded theory analysis, following the original Glaser and Strauss (1967) philosophy, was used to analyse data extracted from interviews with fifteen chief executives or equivalents. Three themes arose out of this process: Executive Perceptions of ICT/I; Strategic Alignment of ICT/I projects;ICT/I Project Outcomes The themes had quite strong connections between them. Jargon Barriers between ICT staff and these executives, affected the executives perceptions of ICT/I and were strong contributing factors for a poor strategic alignment between ICT/I projects and business goals. The poor alignment was primarily caused as a result of low levels of executive engagement with these projects, because they couldn’t understand the “techno-speak” of their ICT people. The consequence was consistently low satisfaction with ICT/I project life cycle outcomes. There was a very real difference between the satisfaction levels of executives who had made definite efforts to overcome, or deal with, the ICT/I jargon barriers, and those who hadn’t. there was a very real difference between the satisfaction levels of executives who had made definite efforts to overcome, or deal with, the ICT/I jargon barriers, and those who hadn’t. The substantive theory developed from this work is that: Jargon barriers created by ICT staff generate poor relationships between ICT staff and their executives, which in turn can cause low levels of executive engagement with their infrastructure projects, and consequently affect executive perceptions about the outcomes of these projects.

Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / Privacy of personal information is becoming a major problem in health care, in the light of coming implementation of electronic health record (EHR)systems. There is evidence of increasing public concern over privacy of personal health information that is to be stored in EHRs and widely used within the interconnected systems. The issues for the health care system include inadequate legislation for privacy in health care, as well as deficiency of effective technical and security measures. The work in the thesis is part of a larger project which aims to offer a comprehensive set of new techniques for protection of confidential individual's health data used for statistical purposes. The research strategy is to explore concerns about privacy in relation to legislation, attitudes to health care and technical protections in statistical databases. It comprised two different approaches: * content analysis of legal frameworks addressing protection of privacy in Australian health care, and * social research to explore privacy concerns in health care by Australians 18 years and over. This thesis presents a new multi-stage research to explore privacy concerns in health care raised by the development of EHR systems. Stage one involved 23 participants within four focus groups. Stage two was a national sample survey conducted with 700 respondents 18 years and over. The results of analysis are presented. They are compared with the results of other studies. The main findings of this thesis are: * revealing the main inadequacies in the Australian legal system for protecting privacy of health information in electronic health records; * determining characteristics of people who have concerns about the privacy of their health information; * identifying items of a health record which have to be protected and some reasons for that. The findings of the study will assist with the decision and solution for appropriate technical measures in statistical databases as well as issues of inadequacy in the existing privacy legislation. Furthermore, the work in this thesis confirmed a low awareness of public in relation to statistical use of personal health information and a low level of trust to automated systems of electronic health records which are initiated by the government. In conclusion, attitude towards privacy depends on individual's characteristics but also on existing legislation, public's awareness of this legislation,the means of resolving complaints, and awareness of technical means for privacy protection. Therefore, it is important to educate public in order for EHR system function to the full of its potential and the future innovations of information technology to strengthen health care and medical research.

There are many issues involved in implementing Information and Communications Technology (ICT) projects in general, and infrastructure (ICT/I) projects in particular. Failures are still common despite advances in project management tools, and increased ICT sophistication. Executive sponsorship and support is acknowledged to make a difference to the success or failure of these kinds of projects. Little has been written on the views of non-ICT executives about the issues they have with ICT/I projects, which have particular challenges because of their highly technical nature. This research sought to develop a theory not only about what the issues are, from the non-ICT executive perspective, but also how these issues appear in, and may affect the outcomes of, such projects. An interpretive study using single units of analysis within multiple cases, to build an inductively derived theory, was the approach chosen for this research. An adapted grounded theory analysis, following the original Glaser and Strauss (1967) philosophy, was used to analyse data extracted from interviews with fifteen chief executives or equivalents. Three themes arose out of this process: Executive Perceptions of ICT/I; Strategic Alignment of ICT/I projects;ICT/I Project Outcomes The themes had quite strong connections between them. Jargon Barriers between ICT staff and these executives, affected the executives perceptions of ICT/I and were strong contributing factors for a poor strategic alignment between ICT/I projects and business goals. The poor alignment was primarily caused as a result of low levels of executive engagement with these projects, because they couldn’t understand the “techno-speak” of their ICT people. The consequence was consistently low satisfaction with ICT/I project life cycle outcomes. There was a very real difference between the satisfaction levels of executives who had made definite efforts to overcome, or deal with, the ICT/I jargon barriers, and those who hadn’t. there was a very real difference between the satisfaction levels of executives who had made definite efforts to overcome, or deal with, the ICT/I jargon barriers, and those who hadn’t. The substantive theory developed from this work is that: Jargon barriers created by ICT staff generate poor relationships between ICT staff and their executives, which in turn can cause low levels of executive engagement with their infrastructure projects, and consequently affect executive perceptions about the outcomes of these projects.

The research question considers the possibility that culture and identity impedes Chinese New Zealanders from writing fiction about their own culture, and considers a Chinese New Zealand history as interpreted from a Chinese perspective. The research looks at various elements related to this question, such as Chinese as strangers or foreigners, the pressure to conform, and the role of communities.

This diploma thesis is concerned with the attitude towards teaching mathematics focusing on teaching fractions. The first part pays attention to the attitudes towrsd teaching and specifies two different styles, classical and constructivism. In case of constructivism, I also pay attention to the term genetic constructivism in connection to Hejný's methodology. After that I present teaching methodology and roles of teacher. The other part of this piece of work engages in fractions especially in children pre- concepts and developing activities which lead to understanding fractions. This piece of work answers the question on how to cope with pre-concept knowledge and in which way it should be developed. I present different kinds of models of fractions and how to work with them in practical part of this thesis. The aim of the practical part is to map the attitudes towards teaching fractions and work with pre-concepts of beginning teachers which is made by interviewing 4 teachers and observing their lessons. Those interviews are analyzed in practical part and the answers of respondents are compared to each other as well as to my expected answers. The reflection of observing the lesson is full of activities which may lead to understanding fractions. At the end I summarize the results of the analysis of...

The current study examined the relations among internalization of sociocultural attitudes towards appearance, magical thinking, muscle dysmorphia, and eating disorder symptoms in models of obligatory exercise for males and females. The results indicated that several different developmental trajectories exist that vary from person to person. Several of the models proposed were supported or partially supported. The first model demonstrated mediation and moderation; at low levels of magical thinking, eating disorder attitudes and behaviors fully mediated the relation between internalization of societal standards of appearance and obligatory exercise. The second model was supported for the female sample, and indicated that obligatory exercise partially mediated the relation between internalization of societal standards of appearance and eating disorder attitudes and behaviors. The second model assessing eating disorder attitudes and behaviors for the male sample was not supported. A third model evaluated a mediational effect of muscle dysmorphia, but was not evident. However, when magical thinking was high, muscle dysmorphia significantly predicted obligatory exercise. The fourth model evaluated obligatory exercise as a mediator of the relation between internalization of societal standards of appearance and muscle dysmorphia, and partial mediation was demonstrated for the males. The fourth model was not supported for the females; instead, it appears that both internalization of societal standards of appearance and obligatory exercise contribute to muscle dysmorphia. Collectively, the results of this study support the use of a transdiagnostic perspective when designing intervention and treatment programs for individuals who may suffer from eating disorders, obligatory exercise and/or muscle dysmorphia.

Este estudo analisa as capacidades em marketing e sua relação com a performance, em empresas do Rio Grande do Sul, dos segmentos de serviço e indústria. Para concretizar esse propósito, foi realizado um estudo exploratório, no qual, com base na técnica de entrevista em profundidade, foram entrevistados seis executivos, com cargos de presidência ou diretoria que tivessem influência sobre as decisões de marketing da empresa. A partir da literatura especializada, foi montada uma estrutura de análise composta por onze dimensões de capacidades em marketing, as quais orientaram a elaboração do roteiro de entrevistas, bem como a estrutura do capítulo dos resultados. Os resultados do trabalho indicam o reconhecimento, segundo os executivos entrevistados, da importância das capacidades em marketing para a performance empresarial, bem como a validação das onze dimensões das capacidades a eles apresentadas, embora tenham sido identificadas algumas restrições quanto à efetiva prática das capacidades em suas empresas. Evidenciouse ainda a associação das capacidades em marketing mais impactantes para a performance, que variam de acordo com o segmento de atuação (serviço ou indústria). Em síntese, embora reconheçam a relação capacidades em marketing e performance superior, as empresas dos executivos entrevistados ainda carecem de um maior entendimento do conceito de cada uma das capacidades e das práticas que as sustentam, para que tenham efetividade na orientação para mercado e, consequentemente, obtenham performance superior. Finalmente, conclui-se, pelos seus discursos, que as reflexões estratégicas de marketing nas empresas estudadas ainda permanecem restritas a poucos colaboradores, fazendo com que haja uma lacuna em relação à compreensão e à disseminação dos verdadeiros conceitos de marketing – um fator limitador para que as capacidades em marketing possam desempenhar seu papel na orientação para o mercado e, consequentemente, gerar performance superior. / This study aims to analyze the competences in marketing and its relation to performance, in enterprises from the service and industry segments in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. An exploratory study was carried out, based on the technique of interview in deep,with 6 executives with the positions of presidente or director, who influenced the decisions on marketing at the enterprises. Using the literature, a structure of analysis with 11 dimensions of competences in marketing was created, and guided the elaboration of the interviews, as well as the structure of the chapter with the results. The outcomes of this work have indicated the recognition , according to the executives, of the importance of the competences in marketing for entrepenerial performance, as well as the validation of the 11 dimensions of the competences presented to them. Nevertheless, some restrictions to their effective practice at their enterprises were identified. It was also verified the association of the competences in marketing with more impact to the performance that varied according to the segment ( service or industry). Thus , although they have recognized the relation between the competences and a superior performance, their enterprises lack better understanding of the concept of each competence and the praxis that supports them, in order to have more effectiveness towards the market, and consequently a superior performance. Finally, it was concluded from their discourses that the strategic reflections on marketing of the enterprises in this study still remain restricted to few collaborators, and in so doing, there is a gap in relation to the understanding and the dissemination of the real concepts of marketing - a limiting factor for the competences in marketing which otherwise would be able to accomplish their role in guiding to the market and consequently generate a superior performance.

Submitted by Andrea Hayashi (deachan@gmail.com) on 2016-06-22T12:53:15Z No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertacao-deborah-moreira-guimaraes.pdf: 945434 bytes, checksum: 96c3761fb24974be57e744dc595fe0c3 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Andrea Hayashi (deachan@gmail.com) on 2016-06-22T13:00:37Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertacao-deborah-moreira-guimaraes.pdf: 945434 bytes, checksum: 96c3761fb24974be57e744dc595fe0c3 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-22T13:00:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertacao-deborah-moreira-guimaraes.pdf: 945434 bytes, checksum: 96c3761fb24974be57e744dc595fe0c3 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-10-13 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Este trabalho pretende examinar os diversos modos de findar presentes, prioritariamente, na obra Ser e Tempo, do filósofo alemão Martin Heidegger. Assim, será necessário abordar, primeiramente, a proposta heideggeriana de uma ontologia fundamental para, a partir daí, podermos explicitar, em detalhes, a constituição deste caractere existenciário: o “ser-para-a-morte”. Doravante, faremos uma análise destes modos do findar, tendo como referência suas variáveis, como o “cessar-de-viver”, o “findar”, o “deixar-de-viver” e o “ser-para-a-morte”, ponto principal deste trabalho. Também será abordado o modo pelo qual o Dasein chega à compreensão de sua morte, por meio do desvelamento de seu ser proporcionado pelo despertar de uma tonalidade afetiva fundamental. Por fim, faremos um breve apêndice para traçar uma possível relação entre o conceito de ser-para-a-morte e a noção de apelo-da-consciência, cujo objetivo é averiguar as aplicações ônticas da compreensão da morte enquanto possibilidade-de-ser iminente, certa e intransferível. / This paper intends to examine the various modes of ending present, mainly, in the work Being and Time, of the German philosopher Martin Heidegger. Therefore, it will be necessary to approach, first of all, the Heidegger’s proposal for a fundamental ontology to make possible to explain thenceforward, in detail, the constitution of this existential character: the “being-towards-death” (Sein-zum-Tode). Henceforth, we will make an analysis of these modes of ending with reference to their variables, such as “perishing” (Verenden), “ending” (Enden), “demise” (Ableben) and “dying” (Sterben), main point of this paper. It will also be approached the mode by which Dasein reaches the comprehension of its death, through the unveiling of its own being provided by the awakening of a ground mood (Grundstimmung). Lastly, we will make a brief appendix to draw a possible relation between the concept of being-towards-death and the idea of conscience as a call (Gewissensruf), whose aim is investigating the ontical applications of death’s comprehension as imminent, certain and nontransferable possibility-of Being.

O presente trabalho visa descrever o fenômeno da educação a distância e investigar as atitudes dos alunos militares para com a modalidade de EAD no Sistema de Ensino do Comando do Exército Brasileiro, particularmente, no âmbito do Departamento de Educação e Cultura do Exército (DECEx), responsável pela formação dos oficiais combatentes. Compreender as atitudes dos alunos para com essa modalidade de ensino, contribui para o planejamento e implementação de efetiva política de formação da Instituição. Para isso, toma-se como eixo norteador o processo de modernização da Instituição com seus desdobramentos formativos, de forma a traduzir a incorporação da educação a distância como um movimento crescente do Processo de Modernização de Ensino, alicerçado nas pedagogias da aprendizagem de vertente cognitivistas. De fato, é diante da EAD que será enfrentada a dificuldade de transformar os princípios normativos das políticas de formação em atitudes que favorecerão o desenvolvimento da Instituição frente às novas e desafiantes demandas do processo formativo do oficial combatente. / This work describes the distance learning phenomenon and investigates the attitudes of military students towards the distance learning mode in the educational system of the Brazilian Army Command. More exactly, it focus on the Department of Education and Culture of the Army (DECEx), which is responsible for training officers. Understanding the students attitudes to this teaching mode contributes to the planning and implementation of an effective educational policy in the institution. To that end, the guideline of this dissertation is the modernization process of the institution and its consequences for educational planning. It sees the adoption of distance education as an accompanying and increasingly important move in the teaching modernization process, based on cognitive learning pedagogies. In fact, it is through distance education that educational policies will face the challenge of transforming its normative principles into measures which will favor the institutional development as regards new and challenging demands of the officer training process.