The process of discursive institutional work in creating an innovative degree development practice: an institutionalisation approach to innovation

Developing sector-specific university degrees is a challenging process for universities and sectoral members. The development of these degrees needs to incorporate industry-specific resources whilst satisfying the universities’ institutional degree requirements. The process is particularly problematic when there has not previously been a degree devoted to the sector and when there has not been sector-wide communication about the need for a degree. This study provides an empirical investigation of the development of Canada’s first retail management degree and examines how discursive processes constituted an innovative practice of sector-specific degree development in a fragmented, occupational field. These processes were innovative because they involved a corporate-university partnership, multiple collaborations of institutional and corporate embedded actors, and particular forms of legitimating discursive work. Given the institutional nature of the university, this practice represents a process of institutionalisation, whereby the innovative practice becomes a legitimate means of degree development. By examining this unique case, this study develops an analytic framework to analyse discursive institutionalisation through archival documentation and qualitative interviews. The discursive work performed through the data is characterised by the prominence of generalised issues, and by the nature of its synchronicity, recursiveness and convergence. The resulting institutionalisation processes perform discursive institutional work that is purposive, synchronised, recursive and convergent. This study therefore provides an understanding of how discursive processes institutionalise an innovative practice of retail management degree development

EDI control : management and audit issues

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/aicpa_guides/1419/thumbnail.jp

Perception gaps and the adoption of information technology in the clinical healthcare environment

Implementation of information systems has lagged in many areas of clinical healthcare for a variety of reasons. Economics, data complexity and resistance are among the often quoted roadblocks. Research suggests that physicians play a major part in the adoption, use and diffusion of information technology (IT) in clinical settings. There are also other healthcare professionals, clinical and non-clinical, who play important roles in making decisions about the acquisition of information technology. In addition to these groups there are information technology professionals providing the services required within the healthcare field. Finally within this group are those IT professionals who have sufficient cross training to understand specific needs. Each member of these groups brings a different perspective to both needs assessments as well as implementation of clinical systems. This study considers the idea that there are preconceived differences of opinion of the information needs of clinical healthcare by the clinical community and the information technology professionals. Are these differences significant enough to create a barrier to implementation? A questionnaire was developed from preliminary data to assess multiple parameters which could impact implementation of a clinical information technology solution. A Web of System Performance (WOSP) model was created to map each of the following eight areas of concern: functionality, usability, extendibility, connectivity, flexibility, reliability, privacy and security. Responses to the questions were related to professional roles, age and experience. There were no differences seen in the perceived need for secure systems by either healthcare workers or IT professionals. The variance of perceived need was greatest among the various non-physician healthcare workers when compared to physicians or information technology professions. This was a consistent pattern for the otherparameters with the exception of the usability of the electronic health record. In this area all groups disagreed significantly. The study, though limited by its small sample, still suggests that the resistance by healthcare professionals is not a significant barrier to successful information technology implementation

Dietary behavior of home-living older adults: the role of environmental factors

PhD in Social Sciences : User behaviorWhile many home-living older adults seem to consume a nutritionally adequate diet, the prevalence of malnutrition in older people living at home remains high and frequently overlooked. Malnutrition in older adults has been recognized as a challenging health concern associated with a decline in health, reduced physical and cognitive function, increased utilization of health services, slower recovery times, premature institutionalization, and increased mortality. The problems that exist in relation to malnutrition, coupled with the increased proportion of older adults in the population, will affect not only the older adults themselves but also has serious implications on health services, public finances, and welfare systems. In response to these growing concerns, effort should be made to help older adults maintain their health. Research evidence increasingly supports the idea that an adequately nutritious sound diet is essential to the health of older adults. It is thus important to understand the dietary behavior of home-living older adults, particularly what factors impact this behavior. The recognition of the importance of understanding dietary behavior has sparked interest in research about these factors. That said, it often focuses solely on the individual-level determinants. Research focusing on environmental determinants of dietary behavior, on the other hand, is growing, but much still remains to be explored. For this reason, this dissertation centered on the environmental determinants of dietary behavior. The main objective of this dissertation is to deepen our understanding of home-living older adults' dietary behavior and advance the current state-of-art literature in this field. This objective is achieved by means of three small interrelated studies. Before proceeding with the studies, I would like to point out the rationale behind them. Many empirical studies in dietary behavior research use in-depth individual interviews as the data collection method. Despite the benefits of in-depth individual interviews as a data collection method, using a single data source to investigate a complex dietary behavior is perhaps insufficient. Additionally, it can result in mono-method bias. To create a good foundation for the studies and improve the overall validity of the findings, I first draw my attention to the data collection method (study 1) before focusing on identifying the environmental factors that impact dietary behavior (study 2). In terms of study 3, the second study's findings guided this study. The paragraphs below describe the three studies. The first study explored the suitability of data collection methods for use with home-living older adults in the context of food choice. The second study investigates environmental factors determining home-living older adults' eating behavior. The third study examines the role of situational factors and the extent to which they lead to the adoption of online grocery shopping. The result of the first study shows that the dyadic interview is a viable method for collecting data from older adults when an alternative interview method is needed. It also indicated that both interview methods generated complementary information. Moreover, using multiple methods has provided greater insights and perspectives about the topic. The findings of study two suggest that a social environment can help encourage healthy eating among home-living older adults. Additionally, participation in a senior center, ensuring access to food (grocery shopping), transportation and mobility aids can support home-living older adults in maintaining their diet and health. The third study found that a combination of poor health, loss of mobility, and distance to the grocery store can create a complex process that hinders older adults' endeavors to obtain healthy food. While some older adults have already adopted online grocery shopping as part of their routines, others are open to the idea as a coping strategy, but some are still hesitant. Taken together, this dissertation contributes to unique insights into data collection methods for use with older adults when exploring food choice, deepens the knowledge of environmental factors associated with eating behavior, and enriches the understanding of situational factors that lead older adults to buy groceries online. The findings carry implications for methodology, theory, and practice within dietary behavior research of home-living older adults

Sustainability Strategies for Nonprofit Organizations During General Economic Downturns

Many leaders of nonprofit organizations (NPOs) lack strategies to build and maintain a financially sustainable organization to continue providing vital social services. The purpose of this single case study was to explore the financial strategies some NPO leaders used to maintain financial sustainability during general economic downturns. Five purposively selected leaders of an NPO in northwestern Indiana participated in the study. The resource dependency theory and the change management theory were the conceptual frameworks that guided the study. Data were collected from face-to-face and telephone interviews and a review of company documentation. Member checking was conducted with participants and data triangulation occurred with an analysis of organization documents that reinforced the validity of the findings. Data were analyzed using Yin\u27s 5-step process of coding of participants\u27 responses, including examining, categorizing, tabulating, creating a data display, and testing the data. Data analysis of organizational documents, interview transcripts, and the organization\u27s social media sites revealed 3 themes: partnerships, fundraising, and diversification as the strategies used to maintain financial sustainability during periods of economic downturns. The findings of this study might contribute to positive social change by providing information to NPO leaders to help improve financial strategies and sustainability for community service organizations during general economic downturns and maintain social services

Electronics and Computer Sales: Brick-and-Mortar Retail Strategies to Increase Revenue

The growth of online retailing threatens brick-and-mortar retail revenues. Brick-and-mortar retail leaders who fail to increase revenues risk insolvency. Grounded in the theory of change, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore effective strategies electronics and computer brick-and-mortar retail leaders use to increase revenue in response to competition from online retailers. The participants comprised 6 electronics and computer brick-and-mortar electronics retail store leaders in San Diego, California, who effectively used strategies to increase revenues. Data were collected from semistructured interviews, company information, financial data, and web site documentation. Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyze the data with 4 themes emerging: returning customers and trust, locality-based marketing, smart devices to shop around by customers, and maintaining stock and customization. A key recommendation is for brick-and-mortar retail leaders to develop website content that drives customer engagement and adopt an influencer strategy to build the brand and increase sales. The implications for positive social change include the potential for brick-and-mortar retail leaders to encourage customer trust, create new jobs, reduce unemployment, and develop new services and strategies to aid local community residents

Application of a Blockchain Enabled Model in Disaster Aids Supply Network Resilience

The disaster area is a dynamic environment. The bottleneck in distributing the supplies may be from the damaged infrastructure or the unavailability of accurate information about the required amounts. The success of the disaster response network is based on collaboration, coordination, sovereignty, and equality in relief distribution. Therefore, a reliable dynamic communication system is required to facilitate the interactions, enhance the knowledge for the relief operation, prioritize, and coordinate the goods distribution. One of the promising innovative technologies is blockchain technology which enables transparent, secure, and real-time information exchange and automation through smart contracts. This study analyzes the application of blockchain technology on disaster management resilience. The influences of this most promising application on the disaster aid supply network resilience combined with the Internet of Things (IoT) and Dynamic Voltage Frequency Scaling (DVFS) algorithm are explored employing a network-based simulation. The theoretical analysis reveals an advancement in disaster-aids supply network strategies using smart contracts for collaborations. The simulation study indicates an enhance in resilience by improvement in collaboration and communication due to more time-efficient processing for disaster supply management. From the investigations, insights have been derived for researchers in the field and the managers interested in practical implementation

Social Media and Customer Engagement: Customer Relations in a Digital Era

Traditional big data analytics do not include the contextual facets that social media narratives and customer engagement do. There is currently a gap in research on how customer relations managers can integrate social media in their existing data analytics to improve business performance. The purpose of this qualitative, exploratory multiple case study was to further understand of how customer relations managers can use social media within the context of already existing data analytics across industries in Canada. Communication theory was the conceptual lens for assessing customer relations management and consumer feedback within an increasingly digital business environment. Purposeful sampling was used to identify 5 customer relations managers and 5 business analysts who engaged in customer relations management as well as 5 consumers who used social media to influence product or service offerings. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with the 15 participants and then analyzed using a scaffolded process involving hand coding and the use of qualitative data analysis software. The analysis resulted in 9 themes encompassing the benefits and constraints of social media as well as customer relations management. Themes included communication, responsiveness-knowing consumer needs, managerial competencies, trust and accountability, branding, IT/analytics, degrees of controlling the narrative, consumer involvement, and governance and strategy. Customer relations managers who embrace the themes identified in this study might improve their confidence, intentionality of practice, followership, and perceived accountability as social media platforms expand the public nature of e-commerce

A crossfield literature review of the HIV and AIDS impacts on the Ugandan workforce through the HRD lens

This study performed a literature review of five crossfields (economic, educational, medical, political, and socio-cultural) utilizing human resource development (HRD) models, tools, definitions, and theories to understand how the findings of HIV and AIDS impacts on Uganda can be managed with HRD importance to improve the workforce and decrease HIV and AIDS incidence and prevalence. The study concerns Ugandas (1) HIV and AIDS history, (2) workforce demographics, (3) decentralized government for diffusion capabilities, (4) AIDS fundings, international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs), and their effectiveness, and (5) utilization of change agents to overcoming socio-cultural barriers in the prevention and treatment of HIV and AIDS. Human Resource Development (HRD) theories examined are Lewin Field Theory involving leadership identification characteristics as they interact with the group dynamics in force fields, Nadlers Hierarchal Order for Training and Development, and Organizational Development in Systems, Swansons Systems Ringland, and Shoemakers Performance Improvement Performance Needs Model, Swanson and Holtons Basic Human Resource Development Model, Kuhns use of paradigms, Dubins Theory Building Model, and The Body of Knowledge Model. Findings indicate ten major areas where the workforce could be improved and decreases in HIV and AIDS incidence and prevalence could occur. These areas are: (1) overcoming socio-cultural stigmas, (2) increased verifiable HIV testing and treatment, (3) HRD instructions, strategies, tools, and skills for training and development, organizational development, and cultural sensitivity for Westerners; (4) evaluation tools for measuring INGO activities: accountability needed, (5) implementation of the ABC Program transnationally, (6) advocacy for maintaining philanthropy, (7) building of infrastructures and schools - increasing teachers, managers, and engineers and apprenticeships, 8) empowering women and orphans with skills and education, (9) partnering resources and decision making amongst stakeholders and (10) outlining areas for further research