4,077 research outputs found

    Graduate Catalog of Studies, 2023-2024

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    Accounting in action in the New Zealand health reform process: an analysis informed by a specific case study of a major health provider

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    This thesis constitutes an empirical study of accounting in action, focussing attention on patient based cost systems. The thesis contributes an in depth understanding of the mobilisation of casemix and related information systems at a large regional hospital, Health Waikato (HW), in the centre of the North Island of New Zealand. The field research consisted of primarily unstructured and semi-structured interviews and documentary analysis. I present the research in the later part of the thesis from a constructionist, interpretive perspective. This consists of richly descriptive case studies of aspects of the change process as it has impacted upon the research site. The themes of the analysis are related, at the macro level, to the resurrection of neoclassical economics policies and the relative ascendancy of free market solutions. The process through which areas of knowledge and in this case particularly public policy become problematised is explicated. My research attempts to describe the experiences and perceptions of medical and managerial\financial staff at a work unit level within a single hospital. A part of this process has involved investigation of the implementation of traditional accounting technologies in unfamiliar environments. The research is primarily concerned to elaborate upon the social context of accounting systems implementation using theoretical insights derived from Latour (particularly: 1987, 1993). The research has sought to explicate the change process as a process of translation. Traditional accounting techniques have been explicated as “black box” technology with which the organisation has been redefined in economic terms. In the study, the power of accounting in the translation and inscription of data (the fabrication of accounting systems per Preston et al, 1992), is central to understanding the role of accounting systems as technology. Drawing from the work of Latour helps to provide a frame of reference to allow an assimilation of disparate changes and influences as they have come to affect the health sector at a national level, within New Zealand, and also at an organisational level, within a large regional health provider. The research contributes in explicating the relevance of Latour’s rules of method, and underlying theoretical framework for an organisational analysis focusing upon accounting. Latour uses a very general conception of technology which encompasses anything emerging from what he terms the process of “translation”. In this context Latour uses the term to refer to the production or “fabrication” of “quasi-objects”. This is most easily seen as consisting of the physical objects which “populate our western societies”, but for Latour also includes inscriptions and “facts/artefacts”. I regard accounting and information systems as consisting of mixtures (or perhaps “collectives”) of technological quasi-objects in this very general sense. The focus of the research has been upon the identification of problems, the choice of accounting techniques and their implementation. Together with other devices the use of accounting techniques may be seen as a central part of the process through which change is made acceptable within the organisation. Supporters are enrolled into the change process in part by being exposed to the accounting inscriptions which are used to represent the cost and profit “reality” of their unit and the whole organisation. The research process has involved detailed investigation on a case by case basis to enable a thorough description of the accounting techniques being put in place. The title of the thesis is based on Latour (1987) "Science in Action". Conventions developed in Actor Network Theory might suggest my title would be better understood as "Accounting as Actant" but it seems to me that Latour was clearly aware of this same point when he chose this title for his book

    Endogenous measures for contextualising large-scale social phenomena: a corpus-based method for mediated public discourse

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    This work presents an interdisciplinary methodology for developing endogenous measures of group membership through analysis of pervasive linguistic patterns in public discourse. Focusing on political discourse, this work critiques the conventional approach to the study of political participation, which is premised on decontextualised, exogenous measures to characterise groups. Considering the theoretical and empirical weaknesses of decontextualised approaches to large-scale social phenomena, this work suggests that contextualisation using endogenous measures might provide a complementary perspective to mitigate such weaknesses. This work develops a sociomaterial perspective on political participation in mediated discourse as affiliatory action performed through language. While the affiliatory function of language is often performed consciously (such as statements of identity), this work is concerned with unconscious features (such as patterns in lexis and grammar). This work argues that pervasive patterns in such features that emerge through socialisation are resistant to change and manipulation, and thus might serve as endogenous measures of sociopolitical contexts, and thus of groups. In terms of method, the work takes a corpus-based approach to the analysis of data from the Twitter messaging service whereby patterns in users’ speech are examined statistically in order to trace potential community membership. The method is applied in the US state of Michigan during the second half of 2018—6 November having been the date of midterm (i.e. non-Presidential) elections in the United States. The corpus is assembled from the original posts of 5,889 users, who are nominally geolocalised to 417 municipalities. These users are clustered according to pervasive language features. Comparing the linguistic clusters according to the municipalities they represent finds that there are regular sociodemographic differentials across clusters. This is understood as an indication of social structure, suggesting that endogenous measures derived from pervasive patterns in language may indeed offer a complementary, contextualised perspective on large-scale social phenomena

    2023-2024 Boise State University Undergraduate Catalog

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    This catalog is primarily for and directed at students. However, it serves many audiences, such as high school counselors, academic advisors, and the public. In this catalog you will find an overview of Boise State University and information on admission, registration, grades, tuition and fees, financial aid, housing, student services, and other important policies and procedures. However, most of this catalog is devoted to describing the various programs and courses offered at Boise State

    Development and implementation of the EU grand strategies: sociological, policy, and regional considerations of Agenda 2030

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    This book addresses the challenging and exciting issues of the implementation of the European Union’s grand strategies, with a particular interest in the implementation of the current Agenda 2030 and its Sustainable Development Goals. It provides insight into the impact of this strategic process on some of the current global issues relevant to the European Union, such as the European and global energy market, food supplies, industrial components etc. Some of the challenges have such a strong short-term impact, that already accepted strategic priorities and decisions are being questioned and re-examined. This is a particularly exciting subject, both as a research topic and as a policy issue

    Unearthing Leadership: A Leadership Development Curriculum to Equip Individuals For the Flourishing of Vulnerable Communities

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    Through the research process, the identified NPO was that vulnerable communities have the opportunity to flourish when individuals experience healthy, holistic relationships. The critical insights gained from the research process were that healthy relationships are essential for any individual or community to flourish, there is a notable element of hope and whole-life transformation when individuals from vulnerable communities experience healthy relationships, and those who have suffered trauma can overcome challenging circumstances and thrive. For over twenty years, I have lived and worked in low-income neighborhoods as a neighbor, church planter, and nonprofit leader to seek the flourishing of the community through the gospel of Jesus. Since 2010, I have served with a Christian nonprofit, Community Leadership Development, Inc. (CLDI) focused on holistic community development in Billings, Montana. The work of CLDI includes working with at-risk youth, a recovery home for women, economic development and job skill training, and long-term housing solutions for low-income persons. The target neighborhood, the South Side, is the oldest, most marginalized, isolated, and ethnically diverse neighborhood in Billings. To address the NPO, I developed a Leadership Development Curriculum (LDC) specifically designed to equip facilitators and develop individuals from a low-income community. This was in response to stakeholders expressed desire for personal and leadership growth opportunities to mature untapped talents, skills, gifts, and abilities. I created the LDC using a values-based approach to be utilized within a range of contexts. It consists of four modules and eighteen lessons to be taught weekly over several months and incorporate a rhythm of teaching, discussion, fellowship, and celebration. The hope is that participants will grow in their personal development through various discussions and assessments, broaden their relational network through community building and mentoring, and receive applicable leadership skills for their place of engagement

    Using Foresight to develop eHealth intervention implementation strategy

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    One of the key focus areas of the National Dementia Strategy, released by the Canadian government in 2019, is improving informal caregivers' quality of life through better support. While an array of services are available to support them, it’s usually up to caregivers to find them and navigating through a fragmented health and social support system can be challenging, time-consuming, frustrating, and often ineffective. Innovative approaches and eHealth interventions that can provide easy, timely, and need-based access to knowledge resources, enhances and safeguards care capacity among informal caregivers, reducing stress and depression levels, delaying nursing home placements, improving mood and their quality of life (Brodaty & Donkin, 2009). Innovations in technology are becoming a crucial element in improving support for and the well-being of family caregivers but a number of social, cultural, ethical, and technical issues complicate the rapid emergence of new technologies which affects its adoption, implementation, and scalability. Using a participatory foresight approach, this research project speculates futures, 15 years from now, to explore and envision an implementation model for eHealth services for informal Dementia caregivers in Ontario. At a time when technology innovations present significant challenges and opportunities, the purpose is to identify leverage points that will inspire and inform organizations, developers, researchers, healthcare providers, and innovators interested in translating knowledge into practice by designing sustainable and resilient eHealth interventions. This has been accomplished by understanding the needs of informal caregivers, implications of emerging technologies, and factors affecting implementation of eHealth solutions that support informal caregivers

    An Investigation Into the Economic Useful Life of Commercial Aircraft as Impacted by Maintenance and Economic Variables

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    This research involved examining the economic useful life of commercial aircraft and the impact of maintenance and economic variables on the viability and longevity of the asset. The data sample consisted of the entire population of Boeing commercial aircraft produced between 1956 and 2021. The objective was to determine the effect of both maintenance and economic variables on the longevity and usefulness of commercial aircraft. As manufacturers work with issues such as service life, economic life, safety, and critical design features, those in the aviation community focus on the operational side of the equation––how long can one operate the asset, and at what point is it no longer effective to continue investing into the asset? The research presents an extensive review of the maintenance and technological advances in commercial aircraft over the last 60 years and an investigation of various aspects of the economic useful life concept in both use and application from an appraisal and industry perspective. The research focus is on the actual age at which an asset is removed from operational service and the underlying causes of such a decision
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