Causing factors, outcomes, and governance of Shadow IT and business-managed IT: a systematic literature review

Shadow IT and Business-managed IT describe the autonomous deployment/procurement or management of Information Technology (IT) instances, i.e., software, hardware, or IT services, by business entities. For Shadow IT, this happens covertly, i.e., without alignment with the IT organization; for Business-managed IT this happens overtly, i.e., in alignment with the IT organization or in a split responsibility model. We conduct a systematic literature review and structure the identified research themes in a framework of causing factors, outcomes, and governance. As causing factors, we identify enablers, motivators, and missing barriers. Outcomes can be benefits as well as risks/shortcomings of Shadow IT and Business-managed IT. Concerning governance, we distinguish two subcategories: general governance for Shadow IT and Business-managed IT and instance governance for overt Business-managed IT. Thus, a specific set of governance approaches exists for Business-managed IT that cannot be applied to Shadow IT due to its covert nature. Hence, we extend the existing conceptual understanding and allocate research themes to Shadow IT, Business-managed IT, or both concepts and particularly distinguish the governance of the two concepts. Besides, we find that governance themes have been the primary research focus since 2016, whereas older publications (until 2015) focused on causing factors

Shadow IT Behavior of Financial Executives in Germany and Italy as an Antecedent to Internal Data Security Breaches

Data security breaches have been consistently identified in literature as significant, negative events. While most of the related research focuses on externally initiated breaches, far fewer studies provide clarity related to internally initiated breaches. The risk of internal breaches may be dramatically increased by shadow information technology (IT). Our study examines German and Italian financial executives’ decisions to engage in shadow IT in combination with two potential mitigation techniques (severity of sanctions in violation of IT policy and outcome effect related to breach risk). While Italian executives act as predicted, German executives engage in a different decision-making process whereby a self-service business culture brought on by perceived increased IT capabilities supersedes the level of cybersecurity awareness and a strong IT usage policy. Results also suggest an outcome effect favoring increased likelihood of breaches may lessen the likelihood of shadow IT usage. Our study adds an international component to existing data security breach and shadow IT research, while also contributing to the IT usage policy, neutralization theory, dynamic capabilities, outcome effect, and self-service literatures

A Case Study Exploring Organizational Development and Performance Management in the Operational Infrastructure of a Professional Working Organization, Using Academic Constructs

Curriculum, as a concept, has been historically associated with traditional schooling, but the reality is that its application extends to many arenas beyond academia. Through the case study lens, this dissertation utilized the ideologies of curricular theorists John Dewey, John Franklin Bobbitt, and Ralph Tyler to explore how intended, enacted, and assessed curricula phases can integrate into a professional working organization’s comprehensive functionality and materialize into the planning and implementation of its operational infrastructure. Following content analysis of a selected institution’s operational system, using closed codes, a descriptive comprehensive curriculum was designed to address the research purpose of understanding employee performance and organizational outcomes. Findings indicated that curricular phases are inherently embedded into the organizational development and performance management of nonacademic spaces; moreover, the framework of an organization’s operational infrastructure consists largely of curriculum elements. The primary research implication invokes being able to manage the efficiency and effectiveness levels of (a) personnel unit performance and (b) the workplace environment, through curriculum analysis and prescription

Improvement of Spreadsheet Quality through Reduction of End-User Overconfidence: Case Study

This paper is prompted by and based on earlier research into developers' overconfidence as one of the main causes of spreadsheet errors. Similar to related research, the aim of the paper was to ascertain the existence of overconfidence, and then examine the possibility of its reduction by means of experimental treatment designed for the needs of the research. A quasi-experiment was conducted to this end, in which 62 students of the Faculty of Economics of the University of Novi Sad participated, divided into the experimental and control group. Participants of both groups developed domain free spreadsheets in two iterations each. After the first iterations, students in the experimental group were subjected to experimental treatment: they attended lectures on spreadsheet errors taxonomies supported by real-life examples, and about spreadsheet best practices in the area of spreadsheet error prevention. Results showed that spreadsheet developers who were informed about spreadsheet error taxonomies and spreadsheet best practices create more accurate spreadsheets and are less self-confident in terms of accuracy of their spreadsheets

Causing factors, outcomes, and governance of Shadow IT and business-managed IT: a systematic literature review

Shadow IT and Business-managed IT describe the autonomous deployment/procurement or management of Information Technology (IT) instances, i.e., software, hardware, or IT services, by business entities. For Shadow IT, this happens covertly, i.e., without alignment with the IT organization; for Business-managed IT this happens overtly, i.e., in alignment with the IT organization or in a split responsibility model. We conduct a systematic literature review and structure the identified research themes in a framework of causing factors, outcomes, and governance. As causing factors, we identify enablers, motivators, and missing barriers. Outcomes can be benefits as well as risks/shortcomings of Shadow IT and Business-managed IT. Concerning governance, we distinguish two subcategories: general governance for Shadow IT and Business-managed IT and instance governance for overt Business-managed IT. Thus, a specific set of governance approaches exists for Business-managed IT that cannot be applied to Shadow IT due to its covert nature. Hence, we extend the existing conceptual understanding and allocate research themes to Shadow IT, Business-managed IT, or both concepts and particularly distinguish the governance of the two concepts. Besides, we find that governance themes have been the primary research focus since 2016, whereas older publications (until 2015) focused on causing factors

Evaluating occupational health interventions : design, implementation, and effects

Background: Poor mental health, e.g. stress, anxiety, and depression, in the workplace is a challenge worldwide due to the individual suffering and its impact on sickness absence and productivity loss, causing societal costs. The World Health Organisation classifies stress as the health epidemic of the 21st century. Psychosocial working conditions, i.e., how work is organised and the social interplay at work, are health determinants. Thus, psychosocial hazards are one explanation for work-related mental ill-health. Interventions aiming to improve the psychosocial work environment are recommended. Still, there is a scarcity of studies evaluating occupational health interventions targeting psychosocial working conditions to prevent mental ill health. Also, the existing evidence of the effectiveness of such interventions is inconclusive. Implementation failure is described as one main obstacle to succeeding with these interventions. To tackle the global challenges of work-related stress, we need a better understanding of what can be done in the workplace to prevent employees from becoming ill due to workplace stressors. Aim: This thesis aims to contribute to knowledge on how stress-related ill health can be prevented in the workplace and develop our understanding of the design and implementation of occupational health interventions. Methods: This thesis comprises three papers that evaluate two occupational health interventions to improve the psychosocial work environment and mental health. The interventions were conducted within the human services (I) and construction industry (II & III), respectively. In study I, we applied an embedded mixed methods design to evaluate a participatory intervention to improve the psychosocial work environment and mental health (burnout and quality of sleep) within a municipality in Sweden. We utilised a controlled trial and a process evaluation exploring fidelity and participants’ reactions to the intervention activities, learning experiences, and changes in behaviours and work routines. We collected data through documentation, interviews and three waves of questionnaires. Differences in outcome variables (questionnaires) over time were calculated using t-tests for partially overlapping samples to handle partly different study populations at each time point caused by employee turnover and drop-out. We analysed the interview data by applying a thematic analysis. The second and third studies were conducted in a large Swedish construction company. In study II, we investigated the participants’ satisfaction with engaging in the co-creation process, perceived knowledge, and skill development through interviews. In total, eight men and four women participated. We applied a thematic analysis to analyse the data. In study III, we used a controlled trial to evaluate the potential effects of the co-created intervention on the psychosocial work environment and self-reported stress. We collected data on the outcomes with online questionnaires at baseline, 12, and 24 months. We also assessed adherence to the intervention and dose delivered (i.e., fidelity). Marginal means models adjusting for missing data patterns were applied to estimate potential differences in outcomes between groups over time. Findings: Neither of the interventions improved the long-term outcomes of burnout and stress, respectively. We found different effects of the municipality and construction industry interventions on the psychosocial working conditions. Within the municipality, we found detrimental effects of the intervention on social support from the manager, empowering leadership, control of work pacing, and role clarity. Within the construction industry, there was a noticeable improvement in role clarity for white-collar workers in the intervention group compared to the control group. The implementation fidelity, i.e., whether the intervention activities were delivered according to plan, was moderate in both projects. However, the process evaluation within the municipality project showed that the intervention activities led to few changes in attitudes, behaviours, and work routines. On the contrary, adherence to the construction industry intervention increased during the trial. The results of paper II showed that the co-creation participants reported increased learning about the psychosocial work environment and mental health. The respondents perceived the intervention and the implementation strategies as relevant and feasible. Thus, involving different stakeholders and allowing the organisation to decide the intervention activities and the implementation strategies seem to have enabled a good contextual fit. Conclusions: The program theory, i.e., intervention developed within the construction company, can potentially improve role clarity for white-collar workers. Three design principles stand out regarding their positive effect on the implementation: organisational capability and incentive systems to promote health, aligning the intervention with existing organisational objectives and practices and conducting a needs assessment. The co-creation process in the construction industry seems to have positively affected the above-mentioned design principles. Thus, co-creating occupational health interventions seems promising to improve the implementation

Objectification of the Subject through the Exercise of Power: An Ethnographical Inquiry of Power in an American Policing Organization

abstract: A void exists in public administration, criminology, and criminal justice research as it relates to the study of power in American policing agencies. This has significant ramifications for academia and practitioners in terms of how they view, address, study, and interpret behaviors/actions in American policing agencies and organizations in general. In brief, mainstream research on power in organizations does not take into account relationships of power that do not act directly, and immediately, on others. By placing its emphasis on an agency centric perspective of power, the mainstream approach to the study of power fails to recognize indirect power relationships that influence discourse, pedagogy, mechanisms of communication, knowledge, and individual behavior/actions. In support of a more holistic inquiry, this study incorporates a Foucauldian perspective of power along with an ethnographical methodology and methods to build a greater understanding of power in policing organizations. This ethnography of an American policing organization illuminates the relationship between the exercise of power and the objectification of the subject through the interplay of relationships of communication, goal oriented activities, and relationships of power. Specifically, the findings demonstrate that sworn officers and civilian employees are objectified distinctly and dissimilarly. In summary, this study argues that the exercise of power in this American policing organization objectifies the civilian employee as a second class citizen.Dissertation/ThesisPh.D. Public Administration 201

Magistrates, Managerialism and Marginalisation: Neoliberalism and Access to Justice in East Kent

This thesis examines access to justice in summary criminal proceedings by considering the ability of defendants to play an active and effective role in the proceedings. Summary proceedings are those which take place in magistrates’ courts, and are decided by lay magistrates or a district judge (magistrates’ courts) without a jury. The study uses ethnographic fieldwork to explore the structural/cultural intersection of public services by considering both the effects of structural changes in criminal proceedings in magistrates' courts and the agency of the courtroom workgroup. While the cultural practices of magistrates’ courts have always tended to exclude defendants from active participation in the process, I argue that the structural influences of neoliberalism, in terms of demands for ever more efficient practices and emphasis on individual responsibility as a function of citizenship, have exacerbated the inability of defendants to participate in the process of prosecution. I also observe that, for a number of reasons, the professional workgroup has tended to absorb and adapt to, rather than resist, the neoliberalisation of summary criminal justice. Thus, the combination of structural and cultural influences on magistrates’ court proceedings perpetuates the marginalisation of defendants. Further, in light of neoliberalism's preference for market based approaches to government, there is little political motivation to address the identified problems of access to justice

Developing a biodiversity evaluation tool and scenario design methods for the Greater Mekong Subregion

The Xishuangbanna Prefecture in Yunnan Province (PR China) is facing increasing conflicts between rural development and nature conservation because of an ongoing expansion and commercialization of farming. The rapid development of large-scale farming and the improvement of infrastructure throughout the region are posing serious threats to the conservation of endemic species of flora and fauna, while also offering possibilities for enhancing the livelihood of rural populations to an extend never seen before. The expansion of rubber (Hevea brasiliensis Willd Ex A. Juss) has caused a reduction and fragmentation of natural and secondary forest cover, thereby decreasing structural and species diversity as well as the loss of valuable ecosystem services. The establishment of intensified agriculture, especially plantations on sloping terrain, often leads to an increased erosion risk, nutrient run-off and sedimentation in water courses. Thus, large scale deforestation is not just a problem for nature conservation but also one for the rural economies. Rural development and simultaneous environment conservation often face trade-offs, especially in regions that host an exceptionally high biodiversity, such as many tropical areas. In order to adequately consider and evaluate these interactions, tools and methods have to be developed that allow decision makers to assess the impacts of different management and infrastructure options on the environment. The aim of the work presented in this thesis was to analyze and evaluate the effect of large-scale rubber cultivation on local and regional biodiversity by developing methods to integrate field studies from various disciplines into a comprehensive assessment model. This model was then used to highlight key aspects of anthropogenic influence on the plant species composition within the research area and to identify possible impacts of alternative land use decisions. Furthermore, the development of an interdisciplinary approach to scientific scenario design methods has been supplemented with a study on the acceptance of 3D-visualization as communication tool for land use planning in the background of nature conservation sciences. In order to achieve this, an overview of the agronomical and ecological aspects of rubber cultivation was provided. Literature sources referring to the impact of different cultivation systems on natural biodiversity were discussed and an introduction to the effect of rubber cultivation on Ecosystem Services was given. A method for projection of regionally adapted carbon capture properties of rubber cultivation under suboptimal growth conditions was presented and a comparative assessment of greenhouse gas emissions during the establishment of rubber plantations in regard to the preexisting vegetation was made. A biodiversity evaluation tool based on the combination of approaches from landscape ecology and empirical data within a Geographic Information System was developed. Detailed data on plant species diversity and distribution were combined with quality criteria like endemism or invasiveness to form spatially explicit biodiversity indices for different land use types in various elevation classes. Up-scaling in accordance to the land use distribution observed allowed the estimation of overall plant diversity and the evaluation of the effect of possible future land use scenarios. Habitat characteristics and spatial distribution were included into the analysis of the land use map derived from remote sensing information to allow for the assessment of fragmentation and landscape matrix structure. The methodology was tested with an array of possible present and future land use maps. It was possible not only to evaluate the different land use classes within and their distribution throughout the research area, but we were also able to compare distinct sub-regions based on topography or administrative status. The challenges stakeholders and nature conservation face in the different elevation zones of Nabanhe were highlighted and related to the findings of our partner workgroups from economy and social sciences. The feasibility of this approach to administration staff with limited experience in ecological modeling was one of the main goals in designing the methods. Given a reasonable data set on species diversity and distribution within any given tropical research area, this approach will enable planners and nature park administration to quickly project possible consequences on species diversity indices deriving from land use change within their respective research area. Using this approach, the importance of natural tropical forests for the maintenance of species diversity in tropical cultivated landscapes was highlighted. With the information gained from constructing this evaluation tool, the design and development process for a land use scenario based on the integration of multidisciplinary assessments and iterative scenario refinement with repeated stakeholder inclusion was promoted. By combining stricter conservation rules with alternative sources of income for the rural population in order to offer an alternative to monoculture rubber farming, the economic models and the land use allocation model predicted a stop in rubber and agriculture related deforestation, and the establishment of a considerable amount of reforested area. This was achieved by introducing an innovative land use type that is closely related to traditional local home garden agroforestry systems. By coupling reforestation efforts with the economic gain derived from intercropping Traditional Chinese Medicinal plants into degraded secondary forests, this scenario was, at least theoretically, able to remove deforestation pressure from the natural forest types and to offer an economic alternative to rubber cultivation. The methods used for this assignment can serve as guideline for future projects that want to implement scenario design procedures based on the combination of social sciences, economics, ecology and landscape planning. The acceptance and comprehensibility of computer based 3D visualization models for the communication of possible future land use scenarios was also tested. Two alternative scenarios were visualized and compared to the status quo, with questionnaires and guided interviews covering the acceptability and adaptability of such techniques for professionals from various fields of nature conservation. This thesis presents an overview over agronomic, economic and ecological aspects of rubber cultivation and highlights its implications on biodiversity and nature conservation. The methods discussed here can serve as a guideline for the integration of ecological indicators in land use planning and decision making processes. Although the concepts and topics introduced herein are closely interlinked within the framework of the Living Landscapes China (LILAC) research project, the methods and approaches can easily be applied to other areas in the Greater Mekong Subregion and beyond, be it the expansion of oil palm plantations in the Malayan Archipelago or the fragmentation of forests due to increased population pressure in Central Africa. Nature conservation is facing similar problems all over the developing world, and adaptable approaches such as the ones presented here are needed to support decision making processes in order to secure the preservation and long-term survival of the worlds? diversity in species and natural habitats.Die Präfektur Xishuangbanna in der chinesischen Provinz Yunnan sieht sich zunehmend mit Konflikten zwischen ländlicher Entwicklung und Naturschutz konfrontiert. Einer der Hauptgründe hierfür ist die ständige Ausweitung und Kommerzialisierung der Landwirtschaft in der Region. Die Entwicklung großflächiger Landwirtschaft und die Verbesserung der Infrastruktur über die gesamte Region hinweg stellen ernst zu nehmende Herausforderungen für den Schutz endemischer Arten der Fauna und Flora dar, gleichzeitig bieten sie aber auch nie gekannte Möglichkeiten zur Verbesserung des Lebensstandards der Bevölkerung im ländlichen Raum. Die Ausweitung des Kautschukanbaus (Hevea brasiliensis Willd Ex A. Juss) hat zu einer Reduktion und Fragmentierung der naturnahen und sekundären Waldbestände geführt, was einen Verlust an struktureller Vielfalt als auch an biologischer Vielfalt ebenso wie an wertvollen Ökosystemdienstleistungen mit sich brachte. Die Etablierung intensiver ackerbaulicher Praktiken führt insbesondere bei der Anlage von Plantagensystemen in topographisch anspruchsvollem Terrain, zu einem erhöhten Risiko von Erosion, Sedimentation und Nährstoffverlusten durch Ausschwemmung in umliegende Gewässersysteme. Dies macht die großflächige Abholzung tropischer Regenwälder zu mehr als nur einem Problem des Naturschutzes, sondern zudem auch zu einem Problem der Agrarwirtschaft und des ländlichen Raums als Ganzem. Um die Vielzahl an Einflussfaktoren berücksichtigen und bewerten zu können müssen passende Methoden und Werkzeuge entwickelt werden, die es Entscheidungsträgern ermöglichen die möglichen Konsequenzen verschiedener ordnungspolitischer Vorgaben, Landnutzungsplanungen und der Entwicklung ländlicher Infrastruktur abzuschätzen. Die Zielsetzung der hier präsentierten Arbeit war es die Auswirkungen des großflächigen Anbaus von Kautschuk auf die lokale und regionale Artenvielfalt zu analysieren und zu bewerten. Dafür wurden Methoden zur Integration von Feldstudien verschiedener Forschungsrichtungen in ein umfassendes Bewertungsmodell entwickelt. Dieses Modell wurde anschließend genutzt um zentrale Aspekte des menschlichen Einflusses auf die Artenzusammensetzung innerhalb des Untersuchungsgebietes aufzuzeigen und die möglichen Auswirkungen von alternativen Landnutzungsentscheidungen zu ermitteln. Weiterhin wurde die Entwicklung eines interdisziplinären Ansatzes zum Entwurf wissenschaftlicher Landnutzungsszenarien ergänzt durch eine Studie zur Akzeptanz von 3D-Visualisierungen, einem zurzeit im Kontext des Naturschutzes noch nicht allzu vertrauten Werkzeug der Landschaftsplanung. Um diese Ziele zu erreichen wurde zu allererst eine Übersicht zu den agronomischen und ökologischen Charakteristika des Kautschukanbaus zusammengestellt. Quellen aus der Literatur hinsichtlich des Einflusses von verschiedenen Anbausystemen auf die natürliche Artenvielfalt wurden erörtert und eine Einführung zu den Auswirkungen des Kautschukanbaus auf wichtige Ökosystemdienstleistungen wurde zusammengestellt. Ein Entwurf für die regional adaptierte Prognose des Potentials von Hevea-Beständen als Kohlenstoffdioxidsenken unter suboptimalen Wachstumsbedingen wurde erarbeitet und mit einer vergleichenden Analyse zur Etablierung solcher Plantagen unter Berücksichtigung unterschiedlicher Vorgängervegetation ergänzt. Durch die Kombination von Ansätzen aus der Landschaftökologie mit empirischen Datensätzen aus den Feldarbeitsphasen der Projektpartner unter Zuhilfenahme geographischer Informationssysteme wurde ein Bewertungswerkzeug für biologische Vielfalt entwickelt. Dafür wurden detaillierte Daten zur Artenvielfalt und Verteilung von Pflanzen mit Qualitätskriterien wie Endemismus oder Invasivität kombiniert, um räumlich explizite Biodiversität-Indices für die vorhandenen Landnutzungsklassen zu erhalten. Durch Hochskalierung anhand der im Feld und per Fernerkundung bestimmten Landnutzungsverteilung war es möglich eine Abschätzung zur Pflanzenvielfalt im gesamten Untersuchungsgebiet abzugeben, und die Auswirkungen möglicher zukünftiger Landnutzungs-szenarien zu bewerten. Die räumliche Verteilung und landschaftsökologischen Charakteristika der Landnutzung wurden in diese Analysen eingebunden, um zusätzlich Aspekte wie die Fragmentierung von Waldflächen und die Struktur der Landschaftsmatrix bewerten zu können. Diese Methoden wurden anhand einer Reihe von aktuellen und zukünftigen Landnutzungskarten getestet. Es war damit nicht nur möglich die verschiedenen Landnutzungsklassen und ihre Verteilung im Untersuchungsgebiet zu bewerten, sondern darüber hinaus auch noch klar abgrenzbare Teilregionen zu vergleichen. Die Herausforderungen, denen sowohl lokale Interessengruppen als auch Naturschutz gegenüberstehen konnten somit klar herausgearbeitet und unseren Partnerarbeitsgruppen kommuniziert werden. Eines der Hauptziele bei der Entwicklung dieser Methoden war die Anwendbarkeit durch Verwaltungspersonal mit nur eingeschränkten Erfahrungen auf dem Gebiet der ökologischen Modellierung. Unter der Vorrausetzung eines angemessenen Datensatzes zur Artendiversität und ?verteilung kann dieser hier vorgestellte Ansatz es Planern und Naturparkverwaltungen ermöglichen zeitnah die möglichen Konsequenzen des Landnutzungswandelns auf ihre Region abzuschätzen. Desweiteren konnte abermals die Bedeutung des tropischen Regenwaldes für den Schutz der Artenvielfalt in tropischen Kulturlandschaften gezeigt werden. Mit den Erkenntnissen, die durch die Entwicklung des Bewertungswerkzeugs gewonnen wurden war es möglich den Aufbau- und Entwicklungsprozess eines nachhaltigen Landnutzungsszenarios zu begleiten. Hierfür wurden die Erkenntnisse multidisziplinärer Forschungsarbeit durch schrittweise Anpassungen der ?storyline? nach wiederholter Einbindung verschiedener Interessengruppen kombiniert. Es war möglich durch die Kombination von strikteren Naturschutzvorgaben zusammen mit der Einführung alternativer Einkommensquellen für die ländliche Bevölkerung eine Alternative für die Kautschukplantagenwirtschaft zu entwerfen was dazu führte das die ökonomischen und Landnutzungsmodelle nicht nur eine Stagnation des Waldverlustes, sondern zeitgleich eine Ausweitung der Wiederaufforstungsflächen vorhersagten. Dies wurde erreicht durch die Einführung eines innovativen Landnutzungssystems das stark an lokal vorhandenen ?home garden? Systemen orientiert ist. Durch die Kopplung von Wiederaufforstungsbemühungen mit dem ökonomischen Gewinn aus dem Anbau von Traditionellen Chinesischen Medizinalpflanzen (TCM) in degradierten Sekundärwäldern war es mit diesem Szenario wenigstens theoretisch möglich den Abholzungsdruck auf naturnahe Wälder zu lindern und gleichzeitig eine Alternative zum Kautschukanbau zu liefern. Die Methoden die für diesen Prozess entwickelt wurden können als Leitlinie zukünftiger Projekte mit der Zielsetzung der Verbindung wissenschaftlicher Ansätze aus Sozialwissenschaften, Ökonomie, Ökologie und Landschaftsplanung für die gemeinschaftliche Entwicklung möglicher Landnutzungs-szenarien dienen. Weiterhin wurde die Akzeptanz und Verständlichkeit von computerbasierten 3D-Visualisierungen für die Kommunikation von möglichen Landnutzungsszenarien untersucht. Zwei alternative Szenarien sowie der Status quo wurden visualisiert und mit Hilfe von Fragebögen und strukturierten Interviews wurde die Aufnahmebereitschaft durch und Anpassungsfähigkeit für solche Techniken anhand von Experten aus verschiedenen Bereichen des Umweltschutzes untersucht. Diese Arbeit zeigt eine Übersicht über die agronomischen, ökonomischen und ökologischen Aspekte des Kautschukanbaus auf, und beleuchtet dessen Auswirkungen auf die Artenvielfalt und den Naturschutz. Die hier entwickelten Methoden können Leitlinien für eine Integration von ökologischen Indikatoren in Entscheidungsfindungsprozesse zur Landnutzungsplanung darstellen. Die vorgestellten Ansätze können, obwohl sie angepasst an die Rahmenbedingungen des Living Landscapes China Projektes entwickelt worden sind, problemlos auf andere Regionen angewandt werden. Mögliche Fragestellungen wären die Auswirkungen des sich ausbreitenden Ölpalmenanbaus im Malaiischen Archipel, oder die zunehmende Fragmentierung von Waldflächen aufgrund des Bevölkerungs-wachstums in Zentral- und Ostafrika. Der Naturschutz sieht sich in der gesamten sich entwickelnden Welt ähnlichen Problemstellungen gegenüber, und anpassungsfähige Ansätze wie die hier vorgestellten werden gebraucht, um Entscheidungsprozesse zur Erhaltung und Sicherung des Überlebens der gefährdeten Arten und vielfältigen Lebensräume dieser Welt zu unterstützen

Rethinking organizational learning using theory U: an ontological approach to strategic leadership.

Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.This research study embarked on an in-depth inquiry into the strategic thinking of organizations. The study endeavoured on understanding the different ways in which organizations change. This understanding brought to the fore two fundamental contributors that influenced organizational learning. The way organizations think affect the way they strategize. The ever more challenging and rapidly evolving economic environment in South Africa has put pressure on organizations to look for ingenious ways to survive .The current discourses has reified organizations, regarding them as mechanistic organisms with agency of their own. It is against this backdrop that the research adopted the “Theory U” framework. This theory considered the future as it emerged to address the organizational tussles and challenges during strategic planning and organizational learning .Theory U provided an analytical framework for individuals within organizations. It can be applied as part of a strategic planning process and it forces organizations to learn by appraising both their internal and external situations from an emerged future perspective. This would result in overall competitive advantages. Strategic leaders in organizations are struggling to formulate effective strategies that match the ever-changing business environment. This has affected their ability to execute their duties effectively, which subsequently affected organizational performance. Organizations are struggling to learn and analyse their current macro-environments. The research explored the available strategic thinking methods as revealed in the foremost discourse on organizations. Organizational learning received attention, using an ontological perspective .The phenomenon is studied from a positivist pragmatic perspective, which holds that an investigator can acquire various forms of knowledge and from a theoretical perspective. The research population consisted of organizations in the South African context and the inquiry focused on their micro- and macro-contexts. The questions were asked from a strategic leadership. The research instrument views organizations as systems, organisms, brains, cultures, psychic prisons, and transformers. Most organizations already show the components and attributes of a learning organization. The research aimed to examine the feasibility of adopting and implementing the organization learning approach to achieve organizational change and transformation