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Mallick, Arindam. "The Methodology of social sciences : a phenomenological approach." Thesis, University of North Bengal, 1994. http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/52.
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Barnes, Peter. "Interpretation in the arts and the social sciences." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2005. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:8efbc121-6d88-4b24-a43a-c4cff9e974ba.
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This thesis makes a contribution to the debate about the status of the social sciences. Many philosophers have argued that the social sciences are unlike the natural sciences because they involve a kind of interpretative inquiry which has no parallel in the natural sciences. Stronger versions of this argument suggest that the social sciences are dominated or exhausted by interpretation. In many cases, this stronger claim is supported by an appeal to an analogy between interpretation in the social sciences and interpretation in the arts. The claim of this thesis is that the analogy between interpretation in the arts and the social sciences is not as strong as it is often thought to be. Works of art can be subjected to several distinct kinds of interpretation. Not all of these different kinds have analogues in the social sciences. In particular, conceptions of interpretation which allow for multiple incompatible interpretations of a single artwork have no corollary in the social sciences. By questioning the analogy between interpretation in the two fields, I seek to develop a limited version of naturalism in the philosophy of social science. That is, I argue that there are similarities and points of contact between the social sciences and the natural sciences. This position is strengthened by a further argument: that those who have opposed naturalism have tended to rely on an outdated and overly-rigid view of the what the natural sciences are like. The naturalism I defend is limited because it accepts that there are differences between the natural and social sciences, including the fact that there is a role (but not a dominating role) for interpretation in the social sciences.
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Grönvik, Lars. "Definitions of Disability in Social Sciences : Methodological Perspectives." Doctoral thesis, Uppsala University, Department of Sociology, 2007. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-7803.
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<p>This dissertation examines how disability researchers define disability. It is based on four studies. The first describes different definitions of disability in disability research. The second study is a conceptual analysis of the use of disability in a sample of disability research classics. In this study, it is evident that use of the concept is all but clear. It is concluded that especially environmentally based disability definitions would benefit from further empirical investigations. The notion that environmental factors (such as barriers) are a causal aspect of disability is rather widely accepted among disability researchers. However, it has not been empirically studied to such an extent that it is possible to construct workable theories of this relationship.</p><p>The third study focuses on administrative definitions of disability and investigates the possibility of using data on disabled people that have been gathered by Swedish welfare authorities. It is concluded that rich data are available, but also that researchers must scrutinize how disability has been defined in these contexts. These authorities often start from medical understandings of disability, which may clash with contemporary understandings of disability as being environmentally based.</p><p>The fourth study is a statistical analysis of the effects of different disability definitions on dependent variables. The analyses emphasize variables often included in studies of living conditions. There are major effects of choice of disability definition on the outcome in relation to such variables.</p><p>The dissertation strongly rejects efforts to standardize disability definitions; different analytical purposes require different kinds of conceptualizations. Instead, the dissertation suggests that case-constructing reflexivity be conducted. Case-constructing reflexivity means that the researcher starts with a careful analysis of how disability is best defined in relation to the aims of the study, and continues by being constantly aware of how the choice of definition may affect sampling, analyses and results.</p>
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Wagner, Claire. "Placing psychology a critical exploration of research methodology curricula in the social sciences /." Thesis, Pretoria : [s.n.], 2003. http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-06292004-123737.
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Wignell, Peter. "Making the abstract technical : on the evolution of the discourse of social science / Peter Wignell." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 1997. https://hdl.handle.net/2123/27527.
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This thesis examines the evolution of the discourse of social science. It does this by using the theoretical and analytical tools of systemic: functional linguistics combined with a model of discourse developed by the author based on the work of Foucault, Lemke, Gee, Bourdieu, Halliday and Martin. The discourse of social science is first analysed synchronically, using current undergraduate textbooks from sociology, economics and political science as data. The characterisation of the discourse is based in the work of Wignell, Martin and Eggins and Eggins, Wignell and Martin on the discourses of science and the humanities. The origins and evolution of social science are then analysed, beginning with the work of Thomas Hobbes in the mid seventeenth century and extending up until Max Weber in the early twentieth century. It is argued that social science is a discourse distinct from both science and the humanities but that its Characteristic
features have resulted from a synthesis of features of the discourses of science and the humanities. It is argued that, like science, social science is a technical discourse but that its technicality results from the reconstrual of an already abstract 'world' into a technical one. This reconstrual, it is argued, resulted from the discourse of the physical sciences being imported into discussions of the social in the mid seventeenth century. It is further that, over time, technicality became increasingly a feature of the discourse, both ideationally and textually. Having analysed the discourse the thesis also considers the social factors which have contributed to its evolution in a particular direction.
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Poorthuis, Ate. "Social Space and Social Media: Analyzing Urban Space with Big Data." UKnowledge, 2015. http://uknowledge.uky.edu/geography_etds/41.
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This dissertation focuses on the key role that big data can play in minimizing the perceived disconnect between social theory and quantitative methods in the discipline of geography. It takes as its starting point the geographic concept of space, which is conceptualized very differently in social theory versus quantitative methodology. Contrary to this disparity, an examination of the disciplinary history reveals a number of historic precedents and potential pathways for a rapprochement, especially when combined with some of the new possibilities of big data. This dissertation also proposes solutions to two common barriers to the adoption of big data in the social sciences: accessing and collecting such data and, subsequently, meaningful analysis. These methods and the theoretical foundation are combined in three case studies that show the successful integration of a quantitative research methodology with social theories on space. The case studies demonstrate how such an approach can create new and alternative understandings of urban space. In doing so it answers three specific research questions: (1) How can big data facilitate the integration of social theory on space with quantitative research methodology? (2) What are the practical challenges and solutions to moving “beyond the geotag” when utilizing big data in geographical research? (3) How can the quantitative analysis of big data provide new and useful insight in the complex character of social space? More specifically, what insights does such an analysis of relational social space provide about urban mobility and cognitive neighborhoods?
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Jennings, Peter Leonard. "Critical realism : an alternative perspective on evaluation methodology." Thesis, University of Warwick, 2015. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/68704/.
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The aim of this research was to explore the contribution of critical realist metatheory to evaluation. The principal contention is that adopting a critical relist perspective overcomes the propensity of conventional approaches to evaluation, both quantitative and qualitative, to focus on pre-determined performance measurement criteria. This research is based on comparative analysis of the methodologies and outcomes derived from conventional and critical realist evaluation. Evaluation grounded in critical realist metatheory embraces methodological pluralism, which underpins critical realism, and emphasises more thoughtful forms of data interpretation in empirical research. Making use of an exemplar, publicly funded, scheme providing grants to enterprises engaged in commercialising innovation, the research examines the role of common forms of data gathering and analysis, contrasted with particular forms of data interpretation based on abduction and retroduction. Intrinsic and extrinsic research methodologies are presented, not as polar opposites, but as complementary stances in gaining a rounded understanding of the scheme. Conventional approaches to evaluation are shown to act as limited forms of performance measurement, emphasising anticipated outcomes and predetermined criteria but offering little explanation and understanding. Critical realist evaluation is shown to broaden the scope of outcomes identified and deepen explanation and understanding, whilst simultaneously acknowledging the implications of fallibilism in developing multiple, plausible explanations. Explanation is enhanced through recognition of the inherent uncertainty of the social world, despite the dominance of notions of universal regularities. Recommendations for undertaking evaluation are given. The research helps fill an identifiable gap in current literature and debate on mechanisms and casual inference in social science. It provides a practical example of evaluation in the context of support interventions for innovation. No equivalent example is known to have been published previously.
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So, Moon-tong, and 蘇滿堂. "Applications of Bayesian statistical model selection in social scienceresearch." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2007. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B39312951.
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Lefebvre, Nicolas. "Creation of a Risk Assessment Methodology." Thesis, KTH, Industriell ekologi, 2007. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-32801.
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This report is a presentation of the work realised during an internship at the consultancy division of Thales Security Systems from September 2005 to June 2006. Thales Security Systems is part of Thales, an international group in defence, aeronautics, etc. The work realised consisted in the creation of a new risk assessment methodology for a commercial offer called HELP, standing for Human, Environmental, Logical and Physical security. As a basis for the work, 5 existing risk assessment methodologies were studied, summed up and analysed: - Integrated security risk assessment: a methodology created by Thales Security Systems but not used because of its complexity - Ebios: a whole risk assessment methodology created by the French government - Marion: more or less an audit questionnaire - Audit questionnaire ISO 17799: an audit questionnaire created by Thales Security Systems - A confidential methodology: a methodology of another company with interesting concepts So as to complete this first work, many interviews were realised with specialists in risk assessment and strategy: - Counter-admiral Girard who insisted on the preliminary task of the definition of the mission and its limits, the return of experience as well as on the security frame of mind - Guy Dubois for the maintenance of the security level year after year - Thomas Lebouc for the tools used to apply the methodology - Gérard Pesch regarding the commercial offer - Yves le Dauphin for the human issues Afterwards, the different advantages and drawbacks of the studied methodologies have been studied so as to determine the essential characteristics that were necessary to have in the new methodology The new methodology has thus been created taking into account all these advantages, drawbacks and pieces of advice. The new methodology is a five step methodology: - Definition of the mission and its limits: determination of the objectives of the mission and its perimeter - General analysis of the system: study of the system in its environment - Risk analysis: determination of the threats, assets and Vulnerabilities - Protection standards: determination of the protection measures to implement - Budget, action plans and implementation So as to apply the methodology, several tools have been created. They are necessary for the good running of the methodology as they help to show results in a clear way. These tools are for example, a risk analysis board, a vulnerability audit questionnaire, diagrams, or protection standard sheets.<br>www.ima.kth.se
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Lampard, Richard James. "An empirical study of marriage and social stratification." Thesis, University of Oxford, 1992. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:fb961361-18b3-4801-bd83-8d2bc5b234d5.
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The dual objectives of this thesis are to assess the merits of certain statistical methods as applied to sociological data and to use statistical methods to produce interesting and worthwhile substantive results. The main statistical focus of the thesis is the analysis of two-way tables, for which purpose association models and correspondence analysis are used. Some of the tables analysed require the application of quasi-association models and association models with more than one dimension. Elsewhere in the thesis a proportional hazards model and various log-linear models are fitted. The substantive focus of the thesis is the relationship between marital formation/dissolution and social stratification in modern Britain. Particular attention is paid to assortative marriage for social status, with the relationships between spouses' occupations, educational levels and social origins being considered in detail. Assortative marriage for religion and for party political identification/voting intention are also examined. The data analysed come from a variety of social surveys, including both government surveys (e.g. various General Household Surveys, and the Family Formation Survey) and academic surveys (e.g. the Oxford Mobility Survey and the Social Change and Economic Life Initiative survey). The thesis conclusively demonstrates the utility of association models, log-linear models and proportional hazards models as applied to data relating to marital formation/dissolution. Among the numerous substantive findings are that there was a significant post-war decline in the strength of the relationship between spouses' social origins, and that unemployment appears to cause an increase in the risk of marital dissolution.
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Gordon, Ellen Derby. "Enhancing communication skills through family and consumer sciences." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2002. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/2049.
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Chou, Wah-shan, and 周華山. "Verstehen and the methodology of sociology: towards an understanding of Alfred Schutz." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1989. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31209695.
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Dowling, Zoë Teresa. "Research, methodology and the Internet : a study of the Internet as a data capturing tool." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/52432.
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Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2001.<br>ENGLISH ABSTRACT: It is widely accepted that the Internet has become a valuable resource for social
scientists, not just for the purpose of information exchange; via e-mail, discussion
groups and electronic journals, but also as a medium for data collection. Its global
nature gives a researcher access to a vast range of individuals located around the
world. It also opens up access to difficult to hitherto penetrate study areas, such as
sensitive research on deviant behaviour. Further, it is claimed that considerable savings
to both research budgets and time frames are made possible with the new technology.
It is not surprising, therefore, that a substantial body of research, employing the
Internet as the primary means of data collection, already exists. This raises a number
of questions as to how the Internet fares as a research tool. Are there any important
methodological issues that this new approach raises? Do the traditional research
methods suffice? Or are adaptations to existing methods necessary when difficulties
are encountered? Does such changes affect the more fundamental question of the
research design? These questions are considered in this thesis.
To answer them, I consider two different types of empirical research designs. The first,'
survey research, is a quantitative, numerical design that traditionally has a high level of
control. I consider in detail issues of sampling, including non-response, and
questionnaire design. The second design examined, ethnographic research, is
qualitative, textual and generally has a low level of researcher control. I address the
methods used in cyber ethnography and then discuss the considerable ethical concerns
that feature in such research. I conclude that, on the whole, the existing methods can be transferred to Internet
research. Indeed, some of the problems faced in traditional research are also
considerations in Internet studies and can be overcome by employing similar
techniques, such as using incentives to reduce non-response rates. However, a number
of new problems emerge, such as the lack of paralinguistic cues, which require
adaptations to the existing methods in order to produce results that can be considered
valid and reliable. However, I also argue that these necessary adaptations to the
methods do not affect the underlying principles found in the research design.<br>AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Dit word algemeen aanvaar dat die Internet In waardevolle hulpmiddel is vir
sosiaalwetenskaplikes; nie net vir die uitruil van inligting deur middel van e-pos,
besprekingsforums en elektroniese joernale nie, maar ook as In instrument om inligting
te versamel. Die globale aard van die internet gee die navorser toegang to In wye
spektrum individue internasionaal. Dit verleen ook toegang tot moeilike
navorsingsareas, soos sensitiewe navorsing oor afwykende gedrag. Verder word
beweer dat dit aansienlike besparings moontlik kan maak vir beide die
navorsingsbegroting en tydraamwerk.
Dit is dus nie verbasend dat In substansiële hoeveelheid van navorsing, wat die
Internet as die primêre bron van dataversameling gebruik, reeds bestaan nie. Dit laat
verskeie vrae ontstaan oor hoe die Internet vaar as In navorsingshulpmiddel. Is daar
enige belangrike metodologiese kwessies wat hierdie nuwe metode aanraak? Is die
tradisionele metodes voldoende? Of moet daar veranderinge aan die huidige metodes
aangebring word wanneer probleme ontstaan? Sal hierdie veranderinge die
fundamentele aspekte van navorsingsontwerp beïnvloed? Die vrae saloorweeg word in
hierdie tesis.
Ek gebruik twee empiriese navorsingsontwerpe om die vrae te beantwoord. Die eerste,
steekproefnavorsing, is In kwantitatiewe ontwerp wat tradisioneel In hoë vlak van
beheer toon. Ek ondersoek in detail kwessies van steekproewe, insluitend geen
respons en vraelysontwerp. Die tweede ontwerp wat ondersoek word, etnografiese
navorsing, is kwalitatief, tekstueel en toon in die algemeen In lae vlak van navorser beheer. Ek ondersoek die metodes wat gebruik word in kuberetnografie en bespreek
dan die etiese vraagstukke wat hierdie navorsing kenmerk.
Ek kom tot die gevolgtrekking dat oor die algemeen die huidige metodes toegepas kan
word op Internetnavorsing. Inderdaad kan van die probleme wat ondervind word in
tradisionele navorsing ook ondervind word in Internet studies en ook hier kan dit
oorkom word deur die gebruik van soortgelyke tegnieke, soos om aansporingsbonusse
om geen responskoerse te verminder, hoewel daar nuwe probleme opduik, soos die
gebrek aan para-taalkundige wenke. Dit noodsaak veranderinge aan die huidige
metodes om resultate te lewer wat geldig en betroubaar is. Ek redeneer egter ook dat
hierdie nodige veranderinge aan die metodes nie onderliggende beginsels van
navorsingsontwerp verander nie.
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NOVELLO, NOEMI. "The Quest for Integration in Mixed Methods Inquiry: A Research Synthesis on Mixed Methods Studies in Social Sciences." Doctoral thesis, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/10281/241259.
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Nel campo dei mixed methods nella ricerca sociale, l’integrazione può seguire due possibili logiche generali: una prospettiva di complementarietà, secondo cui com binare strategie qualitative e quantitative sarebbe un tentativo di arricchimento informativo – per ottenere una comprensione più completa di un determinato fenomeno sociale – e una di convergenza, che pone l’attenzione sulla possibilità di superare il bias legato a singoli metodi, attraverso l’integrazione. Mentre il primo punto di vista sembra piuttosto aproblematico, sia da un punto di vista teorico che nell’implementazione empirica, la convergenza sembra porre maggiori sfide
metodologiche, soprattutto nell’elicitazione di “meta-inferenze”. Questa tesi di dottorato propone una sintesi di ricerca metodologica di studi che utilizzano un approccio mixed methods alla ricerca sociale. Le domande di ricerca sono relative alla concezione, implementazione e legittimazione epistemologica della questione dell’integrazione all’interno della comunità accademica degli studiosi che si avvalgono di mixed methods nella ricerca sociale. Varie strategie di analisi sono state utilizzate per rispondere agli obiettivi di ricerca: l’analisi automatica del contenuto di articoli pubblicati in riviste accademiche; l’analisi delle reti citazionali degli stessi paper; alcune interviste semistrutturate a esperti nel campo e la relativa analisi tematica, nell’ottica di un’esplorazione più approfondita del punto di vista delle/gli autrici/ori sull’integrazione, nonché come modalità di indagine delle tematiche legate all’epistemologia.<br>Mixed methods studies in social inquiry may follow two main perspectives on integration: on the one hand, complementarity seeks an information enrichment, a fuller and more comprehensive picture on a social phenomenon; on the other hand, convergence focuses on the chance of overcoming single methods’ bias through mixing. While the first approach results rather unproblematic – both theoretically and empirically – convergence seems to pose additional challenges, especially in the elicitation of “meta-inferences”. This dissertation presents a methodological research synthesis of mixed methods studies in social inquiry. Research questions are related to understandings, implementation and epistemological legitimization of integration within the academic community of scholars applying mixed methods in social sciences. Diverse research strategies were implemented, in order to answer to research objectives: automated content analysis was performed on articles published in academic journals; citation network analysis was applied on references lists of the same papers; semi-structured interviews with experts and the related thematic analysis were helpful to address scholars’ points of view on integration, as well as a modality to explore paradigms and epistemological issues.
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Zhou, Huashan. "Verstehen and the methodology of sociology : towards an understanding of Alfred Schutz /." [Hong Kong] : University of Hong Kong, 1989. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record.jsp?B12997912.
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Anette, Lindskog. "Methodology evaluation." Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för informatik (IK), 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-71276.
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In this paper, I investigate the use of SWOT analysis and the resource based view as tools to elaborate a business plan and in academic research by assessing the two methods’ strengths and weaknesses. I found that SWOT analysis is useful to structure and prioritise information in a short and concise way. Even though, the information and the information collection methods as well as the concepts and theories used in combinaton with the model and their quality is of the most importance for a proper use of the model. The resource based view is useful to reflect over which internal resources are the most valuable for the company, even though it can be difficult to assess the most important assets, i.e. the intangible assets. I also found that the fact that the resource based view, which is a explanantory theory, is used as a predicative theory causes uncertainaty and is problematic.
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Leo, Yannick. "Deep dive into social network and economic data : a data driven approach for uncovering temporal ties, human mobility, and socioeconomic correlations." Thesis, Lyon, 2016. http://www.theses.fr/2016LYSEN066/document.
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Dans cette thèse, j'étudie des jeux de données concernant des liens sociaux entre personnes (appels et SMS), leur mobilité ainsi que des informations économiques sur ces personnes, comme leur revenu et leurs dépenses. Les sept travaux couvrent un spectre assez large et apportent des contributions en informatique des réseaux mais aussi en sociologie, économie et géographie. Les questions posées sont très diverses. Comment quantifier la perte d'information causée par une agrégation de flot de liens en série de graphe ? Comment inférer les mouvements des utilisateurs quand on ne connaît que les localisations des utilisateurs aux moments des appels, et que l'on ne détecte donc que les mouvements qui ont eu lieu entre deux appels consécutifs, sans connaître leur nombre ni les instants auxquels ils ont lieu ? Est-il possible de transmettre des SMS dans une région dense en utilisant la densité des téléphones, la mobilité des utilisateurs ainsi que la localité des messages échangés ? Est-il possible de comprendre les inégalités sociales avec une approche Big Data ? Cette dernière question fait l'objet d'une première étude socio-économique approfondie au prisme du Big Data. Il a été possible d'étudier à grande échelle la stratification de la société, l'existence de clubs de riches, la ségrégation spatiale et la structure des dépenses par classe sociale.Au delà de la variété de ces études et de ces nombreuses applications, cette thèse montre que l'analyse de données individuelles riches à l'échelle d'une population permettent de répondre à de nouvelles questions et à d'anciennes hypothèses avec une approche Big Data. Cette thèse tient à mettre l'accent sur la potentialité d'une approche Big Data mais aussi de sa complémentarité avec les approches classiques (modélisation, sociologie avec enquêtes, …). Un effort particulier a été mis dans l'explication des étapes qui amènent aux résultats et dans la prise en compte des biais ce qui est trop souvent négligé<br>In this thesis, I have carried out data-driven studies based on rich, large-scale combined data sets including social links between users (calls and SMS), their demographic parameters (age and gender), their mobility and their economic information such as income and spendings. These seven studies bring insights in network science but also in sociology, economy and geography. The questions asked are very diversified. How can one quantify the loss of temporal information caused by the aggregation of link streams into series of graphs? How can one infer mobility of a user from his or her localisations of calls? Is it possible to transmit SMS in a dense region by using the density of phones, the mobility of users and the locality of the messages? How can one quantify and prove empirically the social stratification of the society at a large population scale? I present, for this last question, a first socio-economic study with a data-driven approach. It has been possible to study, at a very large scale, the stratification of the society, the existence of "rich-clubs", the spatial segregation and purchase patterns for each social class. Beyond the variety of studies and their numerous applications, this thesis shows that the analysis of individual rich combined datasets at a large population scale gives the opportunity to answer long-standing hypotheses and to address novel questions. This work not only points out the potentiality of Big Data approach but also its complementarity to classical approaches (modelization, surveys, …). Particular attention was given in order to explain each steps that lead to results and to take into account biases which is too often neglected
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Lindström, John. "Models, methodology and challenges within strategic information security for senior managements." Doctoral thesis, Luleå tekniska universitet, Datavetenskap, 2009. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:ltu:diva-17009.
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The work in this thesis is based on an interest for strategic information security, and in particular business continuity planning, in combination with own experiences from strategic management of corporations. Information security policy- and education, practice and awareness issues have also been part of my focus. Strategic information security is the part of information security that senior managements (top managements) should own and care for, like for any other strategic area in an organization. One problem is that this is often not the case as the senior management attention and awareness is focused on other areas instead. The work has mainly addressed explanatory models and methodology to explain what strategic information security including business continuity planning is to senior management teams and a training concept. It has also high-lighted challenges from current and future technology, and terminology problems affecting business continuity planning in a direct or indirect way. The purpose of the thesis was broken down into six objectives matching identified knowledge gaps. These resulted in the research question "How to improve the senior management own and care process for strategic information security, and in particular business continuity planning?" The results from the empirical studies are two models and one methodology to be used when targeting strategic information security issues like modeling and implementations of business continuity planning, security policies and security education, practice and awareness during the own and care process. A further result is a training concept for organizational crisis management. In addition, the results also indicate challenges that need to be addressed during work with security policies and business continuity planning. The thesis further contributes with a framework for business continuity planning guiding how the models and methodology, together with the training concept and challenges should be used together in the own and care process, to resolve problems and achieve organizational change. The contribution is of a general nature and is suitable to use in both private and public sector organizations.<br><p>Godkänd; 2009; 20091106 (jlm); DISPUTATION Ämnesområde: Data- och systemvetenskap Opponent: Professor Per Flensburg, Högskolan Väst Ordförande: Professor Ann Hägerfors, Luleå tekniska universitet Tid: Fredag 18 december, 2009, klockan 10:00 Plats: Hoppesalen, Luleå tekniska universitet</p>
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Kattami, Christalena. "Development of a construction methodology of goal directed, optimal complexity, flexible and task oriented (GOFT) training materials for novice computer users : application and evaluation in adults with mental health problems." Thesis, City University London, 1996. http://openaccess.city.ac.uk/7779/.
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A number of information technology schemes have been developed in order to provide people with mental health problems the opportunity to acquire skills in micro-computer technology. Even though positive results have been reported a high incidence of dropouts during the beginning of the training have been found. The research is based on the assumption that in order for a computer training method to be effective in fostering computer skills and confidence to adult novice users with mental health problems has to: (a) bridge the gap between the user's capacities, needs, and preferences and the demands of the computer interfaces and their real task applications; (b) consider the ways adult novice users prefer to learn and the skill acquisition theories; (c) facilitate a goal directed interaction with the computer system; (d) maintain an optimal complexity level across training; and (e) allow flexibility of use. Based on the relevant literature, a methodology model and a set of design propositions and construction guidelines have been derived and have been implemented for the development of Goaldirected, optimal complexity, Flexible & Task oriented (GOFT) training materials for adult, novice users with mental health problems. The GOFT training materials were based on three different models, the one for the creation of a goal directed instruction format and the other two for the organisation of the training, and the estimation of the difficulty level of each new computer operation or real task application. Evaluation of use of the GOFT Training Materials by 34 adult, novice users (aged 18-51) with mental health problems revealed positive results. More specifically, the use of the GOFT training materials as compared to traditional methods resulted in a significant increase in the number of participants at the different training stages (85.3% versus 47.2%; and 44.5% versus 22.2% at three and twelve months respectively), in perfect & regular attendance rate ( 44,12% versus 11.11% & 32.35% versus 16.67%) and in the performance level (means of 3.75 versus 2.67) of the users. The subjective evaluation by the users also revealed significant differences between the GOFT and traditional training materials. In their evaluation the GOFT materials were rated significantly higher in terms of systematic arrangement, personal affect, understandability, task relevance, fitness, sense of control, confidence in using the mastered functions and in supporting goal directed learning approach.
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Barnard, Susan Smith. "Interior design creativity : the development and testing of a methodology for the consensual assessment of projects /." Diss., This resource online, 1992. http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-07282008-134734/.
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Lane, David C. Jr. "The Social Economy of the Illicit Arts and Antiquities." VCU Scholars Compass, 2007. http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd_retro/83.
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This work will offer sociological theory about deviance, positing that deviance is part of larger social processes. Specifically, it will examine the illicit arts and antiquities trade, arguing that networks of legitimate status-role positions facilitate illegitimate behaviors. This theoretical framework is developed out of the notion that deviant actions may be the result of a social economy, and not the result of individual or psychological concerns. The work will use an exploratory methodology and attempt to explain or answer several research questions. This is tested by using qualitative, open-source data describing the context and means of participation in the status-role positions. The intent is to highlight specific cases and explain how the alternative theory of deviance may be more suitable to explain this type of phenomena.
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Stupiansky, Nathan W. "Alcohol use and sexual behavior during a college special event week utilizing internet based daily diary methodology to analyze event-level data /." [Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2008. http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:3331274.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, 2008.<br>Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Jul 27, 2009). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 69-11, Section: B, page: 6740. Adviser: Michael Reece.
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Hanappi, Hardy, and Manuel Scholz-Wäckerle. "Evolutionary Political Economy: Content and Methods." Taylor & Francis Group, 2017. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07360932.2017.1287748.
Full textAbstract:
In this paper we present the major theoretical and methodological pillars of evolutionary political economy. We proceed in four steps. Aesthetics: In chapter 1 the immediate appeal of evolutionary political economy as a specific scientific activity is described. Content: Chapter 2 explores the object of investigation of evolutionary political economy. Power: The third chapter develops the interplay between politics and economics. Methods: Chapter 4 focuses on the evolution of methods necessary for evolutionary political economy.
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Erb, Michele. "Identification of Training Needs: A Focus Group Interview/Q-Sort Methodology." TopSCHOLAR®, 1987. https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/2313.
Full textAbstract:
In light of research that suggests that formal needs analysis leads to efficient and productive training programs, managers and a sampling of non-management employees from a mid-size manufacturing company participated in a needs assessment to determine future training needs for the company's mangers. The information was collected through focus group interviews and a Q-sort technique was developed to categorize the issues raised in the interviews. The categories of training issues and related concerns identified as a result of the focus group interview process were compared to a list of training topics generated by managers through an informal survey prior to the needs assessment. The comparison indicated that the training issues generated by managers in the informal survey were not congruent with the issues identified as a result of the needs assessment process. Comparisons were made between the major issues addressed by various departments, management levels, and functional groups. These comparisons indicated that some concerns were identified by all departments, management levels, and functional areas and could be defined as organizational concerns while other concerns were identified by specific departments, management levels, or functional areas.
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Jacobz, Melville. "Objectivity, power and interests : a sociological analysis." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/52376.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2001.<br>ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Discourse about the human world has, since Socrates, been structured around the
assumption that one view of a given matter is better than competing views, and that
argumentation, if carried out correctly and systematically, will favour the view which
has the preponderance of reasons and evidence on its side. If this supposition were
dropped, the nature of social scientific inquiry would change significantly.
For many commentators in the social sciences the ineliminable interpretative
dimension of social inquiry and the standpoint-bound character of interpretation lead
to the conclusion that we have to abandon any notion of objective truth in the social
sciences. The central question raised in this thesis is whether this abandonment is
inevitable or even plausible. Is it plausible to conflate objectivity and truth? Is
objectivity a possible characteristic of the individual researcher or a characteristic of
the scientific research process? Does the cultural environment of the researcher
impact on the validity of research findings? If science is a social phenomenon, are
scientific beliefs different from other beliefs? How do the interests of the individual
researcher or the formal organisation of scientific practice impact on the validity of
findings? What role does power play in the shaping of knowledge? These are the
questions that will be addressed in the following thesis.
The methodology of Max Weber serves as a point of departure and divergences
and similarities to the work of Weber are explored in the writings of Kuhn, the
Edinburgh School, Latour, Foucault, Habermas, as well as contemporary
postmodernist and feminist writers. The analysis of these various concepts and
approaches is not presented chronologically, but rather as an exposition of the
contributors of various commentators in the fields of both the sociology of science
and knowledge, and the philosophy of science.<br>AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Diskoers oor die menslike wêreld is, sedert Socrates, gestuktureer rondom die
aanname dat een siening van 'n gegewe saak beter is as mededingende sienings,
en dat argumentasie, indien korrek en sistematies uitgevoer, ten voordeel sal wees
van die siening wat gesteun word deur die oormaat van redes en bewyse. As ons
hierdie aanname sou laat vaar, sal die stand van sosiaal wetenskaplike ondersoek
ingrypend verander.
Vir menige kommentator in die sosiale wetenskappe lei die onafwendbare
interpretatiewe dimensie van maatskaplike ondersoek, en die standpunt-gebonde
aard van interpretasie, tot die gevolgtrekking dat ons enige opvatting van
objektiwiteit in die sosiale wetenskappe moet laat vaar. Die kernvraag in hierdie
tesis is of hierdie verskuiwing onvermydelik of selfs aanneemlik is. Is dit geldig om
objektiwiteit en waarheid saam te snoer? Is objektiwiteit 'n moontlike eienskap van
die individuele navorser, of 'n eienskap van die navorsingsproses? Watter impak het
die kulturele omgewing van die navorser op die geldigheid van die
navorsingsbevindinge? As wetenskap 'n sosiale fenomeen is, is wetenskaplike
oortuigings enigsins anders as ander oortuigings? Watter impak het die belange van
'n individuele navorser, of die formele organsiasie van wetenskaplike praktyk, op die
geldigheid van bevindings? Watter rol speel mag in die vorming en skepping van
kennis? Hierdie is die vrae wat aangespreek word in dié tesis.
Die metodologie van Max Weber dien as vertrekpunt, en ooreenkomste tot en
afwykings van die sienings van Weber word ondersoek in die werk van Kuhn, die
"Edinburgh School", Latour, Foucault, Habermas, sowel as kontemporêre
postmoderne en feministiese skrywers. Die analise van hierdie verskeie konsepte
en benaderings word nie kronologies aangebied nie, maar eerder as 'n uiteensetting
van die bydraes van verskeie kommentators op die gebied van die sosiologie van
die wetenskap en van kennis, sowel as die filosofie van wetenskap.
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Pretorius, Rene. "Maatskaplike ontwikkelingsvennootskappe tussen die korporatiewe sektor, die staat en nie-winsgewende organisasies." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/52922.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (MSocialWork)--Stellenbosch University, 2002.<br>ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was the formulation of guidelines for the organising of
developmental partnerships, of which the key components may be seen as:
• the corporate sector;
• the State; and
• the non-profit or non-Governmental sector.
A literature study was completed, focusing on the partnership strategy within the context
of the social developmental approach. In-depth focus was placed on the elements of an
effective developmental partnership, as well as the manner in which such a partnership
should be organised.
An empirical study was completed in order to investigate the nature of the developmental
partnership strategy; the characteristics of an effective strategy; and the nature of the
various and distinctive organisational components. Data was gathered from a study
sample determined by means of purposive selection of developmental partnerships in the
Western Cape. This sample comprised four (4) representatives each of the corporate
sector, the State and the non-Governmental sector.
Three (3) different self-administered questionnaires were used for data-gathering - one
type of questionnaire for each of the sectors mentioned. The questionnaires were
distributed amongst the twelve (12) respondents - thus, in total comprising four (4)
distinctive developmental partnerships.
The findings primarily relate to the following three aspects:
• the nature of the developmental partnership strategy within the current social
developmental context;
• the requisite elements necessary for effective developmental partnerships; and
• the organisation of these partnerships. Of the various findings, the following may be considered to be of primary significance.
A developmental partnership is possible between all the parties, irrespective of the sector
where they are involved. The partnerships are, however, increasingly being regulated by
means of policy and are thus consequently becoming increasingly formal and
institutionalized. All parties are active participants in the developmental partnerships,
and contributions by each of the parties are usually made in the form of service
provisions or service-producing activities. The parties, however, do attach value or
importance to certain specific elements of the partnership - which in tum have a
significant influence on determining the effectiveness of that partnership. It is on these
principles that the organising of the developmental partnership is based.
There are diverse reasons for the concluding of a developmental partnership which
generally differ from one partner to the next. The partners in such a developmental
partnership are selected according to specific criteria. Certain criteria are of greater
significance for certain partners than for others. However, a key element does appear to
be a sufficient degree of "cultural fit" between the partners. Certain mechanisms are
utilized in order to promote this "fit".
Despite the structure of the developmental partnership being adaptable and flexible, there
appears to be a strong indication that the partnership is control-assured. The nature of
this control is facilitative. The control varies amongst the partners, depending on the
current nature of the partnership activities; the competencies of the partners; and the need
for growth within the partnership in order to realise its objectives.
A further finding concerns the need for clarity regarding the division of tasks or functions
and for co-ordination within the partnership in order to ensure its effectiveness.
Resources are contributed by the various partners, and thereby any resources, risks and
benefits inherent to the partnership are shared amongst its members. The principle of
exchange is an integral factor for the success of the partnership. It is this idea of
exchange that provides the general framework within which it is determined what each of the partners contribute to the partnership, and what benefits they derive from the
partnership.
On the basis of these conclusions, as well as the findings made in the literature study,
recommendations have been made focusing on the elements that will give rise to
effective developmental partnerships and how they should be organised in order to
promote the desired success.<br>AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van die studie was om riglyne op te stel vir die organisering van
ontwikkelingsvennootskappe. Die korporatiewe sektor, die Staat en die nie-winsgewende
of nie-staatsektor is by hierdie unieke vennootskappe betrokke.
Ten einde hierdie riglyne op te stel is 'n literatuurstudie gedoen oor die
vennootskapstrategie binne die konteks van die maatskaplike ontwikkelingsbenadering.
In die literatuurstudie is elemente van 'n effektiewe vennootskap, asook die wyse om so
'n vennootskap te organiseer, indringend ondersoek.
'n Empiriese ondersoek is ook gedoen om die aard van die vennootskapstrategie, die
kenmerke van 'n effektiewe vennootskap en die aard van organiseringskomponente te
bepaal. Die steekproef vir die ondersoek is bekom deur 'n doelbewuste seleksie van
ontwikkelingsvennootskappe in die Wes-Kaap provinsie. Hiervolgens is vier (4)
verteenwoordigers van die korporatiewe sektor, die Staat en die nie-staatsektor
onderskeidelik by die studie betrek.
Daar is gebruik gemaak van drie verskillende selfgeadministreerde vraelyste, een vir elke
sektor onderskeidelik. Hierdie vraelyste is versprei na die twaalf respondente. Die twaalf
respondente het bestaan uit vier verteenwoordigers van elk van die drie partye betrokke
en het dus vier (4) verskillende ontwikkelingsvennootskappe behels.
Die bevindings wat gemaak is, hou hoofsaaklik verband met die volgende drie aspekte:
• die aard van die vennootskapstrategie binne die huidige maatskaplike
ontwikkelingskonteks;
• elemente noodsaaklik vir 'n effektiewe vennootskap; en
• die organisering van 'n vennootskap.
Die belangrikste bevindings was die volgende. 'n Vennootskap is moontlik tussen al die
partye, ongeag die sektor waarby hulle betrokke is. Hierdie vennootskappe word
toenemend deur beleid gerig, en gevolglik is dit toenemend formeel en
geïnstitusionaliseerd. Al die partye is aktief betrokke by die vennootskappe. Bydraes
word deur die vennote gelewer in die vorm van diensvoorsienings- of
diensproduseringsaktiwiteite. Die vennote heg waarde aan sekere spesifieke elemente in
die vennootskap. Hierdie elemente het 'n beduidende invloed op die bevordering van
effektiwiteit. Die organisering van die vennootskap wentel om hierdie beginsels.
Daar is verskillende redes vir die aangaan van die vennootskap. Hierdie redes kan verskil
van vennoot tot vennoot. Vennote vir die vennootskap word volgens spesifieke kriteria
geselekteer. Sekere kriteria is meer belangrik vir sommige vennote as vir ander. Wat
veral belangrik is, is 'n bevredigende kulturele passing ("cultural fit") tussen die vennote.
Sekere meganismes word benut om hierdie passing of verenigbaarheid te bevorder.
Alhoewel die struktuur van die vennootskap aanpasbaar en buigsaam is, is daar egter 'n
sterk aanduiding dat die vennootskapsbeheer verseker is. Die aard van die vennootskapsbeheer is fasiliterend. Die beheer wissel van vennoot tot vennoot,
afhangende van die aard van die aktiwiteite, die bevoeghede van die vennote en die
behoefte binne die vennootskap om te groei en sy doelwitte te bereik.
'n Verdere bevinding wat gemaak is, is dat duidelike werkverdeling en -koördinering in
die vennootskap noodsaaklik is vir effektiewe samewerking. Die hulpbronne word
bygedra deur die onderskeie vennote. Sodoende word hulpbronne, risiko's en voordele
wat verbonde is aan die vennootskap tussen die vennote verdeel. Die beginsel van
uitruiling is 'n sleutelfaktor vir die sukses van 'n vennootskap. Die idee van uitruiling
verskaf die algehele raamwerk vir die analisering van wat partye bydra en voordele wat
die vennote uit die vennootskap kry.
Op grond van hierdie afleidings en gevolgtrekkings asook die bevindings gemaak in die
literatuurondersoek is sekere aanbevelings gemaak. Die aanbevelings fokus op die
elemente wat aanleiding sal gee tot 'n effektiewe vennootskap en hoe hierdie
ontwikkelingsvennootskappe georganiseer moet word om effektief te wees.
27
Almario, Maria C. "THE INCLUSIVE HUMAN TRAFFICKING CHECKLIST: A DIALECTICAL METHODOLOGY OF MEASUREMENT." UKnowledge, 2015. http://uknowledge.uky.edu/edp_etds/34.
Full textAbstract:
The identification of victims of human trafficking and consequential service provision is characterized by a significant disconnection between the estimated prevalence of this issue and the number of cases identified. The current dissertation introduces the Inclusive Human Trafficking Checklist (IHTC) as a screening measure, evaluates the appropriateness of the instrument, evaluates whether there are differences in assessment based on the participant’s profession, level of knowledge, and training, and assesses if users of the instrument perceive it as useful. A total of 201 participants were asked to rate three vignettes predetermined by experts to qualify as a either human trafficking case or not. The participants were placed in three conditions: business as usual (use of the Rescue and Restore instrument), utilization of the IHTC with and without training. The results revealed a statistically significant level of agreement between the expert’s diagnostic and the application of the IHTC. While there was an improvement in identification in the group with training, the difference was found to have a small effect size. The results also revealed an improvement on identification of cases when utilizing the IHTC. Participants who utilized the IHTC showed an increased ability to identify elements of identity-based vulnerabilities as well as elements of fraud, which according to the results, are distinctive variables in cases of human trafficking. In terms of the perceived utility, the results revealed higher mean scores for the groups utilizing the IHTC when compared to the business as usual condition. These findings suggest that the IHTC improves appropriate identification of cases and that it is perceived as a useful instrument. The application of the IHTC as a counseling and legal instrumentation utilized for conceptualization and intervention of human trafficking cases is discussed as an opportunity for enhancement of victim well-being, engagement and activism.
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Fransolet, Aurore. "Knowing and Governing Super-Wicked Problems: A Social Analysis of Low-Carbon Scenarios." Doctoral thesis, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, 2019. https://dipot.ulb.ac.be/dspace/bitstream/2013/286373/4/TDM.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
Since various public and private actors at the international, supranational, national and subnational levels started to adopt long-term targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, low-carbon scenario analyses have flourished. Literature reveals an increasing number of analyses envisioning and exploring alternative images of low-carbon futures, as well as their adjacent transition pathways. Scenario approaches or “foresight” is intended to help policy-makers to navigate the maelstrom of confusion and conflicts associated with highly complex societal challenges such as climate change – i.e. the “super-wicked” problems. Typical scenario exercises aim at coping with uncertainty and conflicting values, and hence are often claimed as a suitable approach for knowing and governing super-wicked problems. When reviewing the scenario literature published over the recent years, we observe significant methodological developments, in particular at the level of the calculus or data-sets. These contributions have generated an increasing technical sophistication of scenario building methods, and contrast with the relative absence of social sciences research on scenarios. Scenario analyses have received little academic attention from social sciences, whether they are political science, sociology, philosophy of science or science and technology studies. By providing a SHS-analysis of low-carbon scenarios, the present thesis contributes to bridge this research gap. Scenarios are here understood as “boundary objects” linking different social worlds: science and policy, but also natural and social sciences. This thesis aspires to create an enhanced understanding on how scenario analyses perform such “boundary work”. More specifically, the following analysis of low-carbon scenarios is based on a twofold perspective focusing, on the one hand, on the interactions between low-carbon scenarios and governance (i.e. link between science and policy), and, on the other hand, on the making of knowledge about governance in low-carbon scenarios (i.e. link between natural and social sciences). In other words, it explores “scenarios in governance” and “governance in scenarios”. The thesis project includes three research axes, each based on its particular empirics. A first study explores the interactions between low-carbon scenarios and governance on the basis of a multiple case study analysing the role of four energy foresight studies in policy-making. The other two studies focus on the making of knowledge about governance in low-carbon scenarios. One of them provides an assessment of the knowledge needed to steer the low-carbon transition. The other one aims at contributing to the debate on the relations between quantitative modelling and social sciences by exposing a critical review of socio-technical energy transition models. The objective of the present thesis thus consists in providing an empirical contribution to social sciences research on low-carbon scenarios.<br>Doctorat en Sciences<br>info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished
29
von, Oldenburg Tim. "Representing bicycle-based interaction: An interaction design exploration into bicycling research." Thesis, Malmö högskola, Fakulteten för kultur och samhälle (KS), 2015. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-21838.
Full textAbstract:
In public spaces, we constantly interact with each other - whether we are aware of it or not. Most of these interactions are indirect and subtle, ranging from flâneurial people-watching, over negotiation of turns in urban traffic, to passive aggression. This is not only true for pedestrians, but equally so for bicyclists.Bicycling is an embodied and social practice. When designing for cycle-based experiences, interaction designers face many problems while conducting research: mobility is always on the move and therefore hard to capture; the fleeting moments of interaction are almost imperceptible to the eye; and verbal accounts of bicyclists cannot represent the experiential qualities of a ride properly.While there exists a history of ethnographic studies into bicyclists' behaviour, it proves to be difficult to enquire into these more subtle interactions. More conventional representations of experience, such as video, fail to capture many of the qualities inherent in taking a ride and being 'out there'. It would be naive to neglect these qualities in our research when designing for cycle-based interaction.This thesis builds on the work of ethnographers and designers engaged in bicycling research. It explores new ways of enquiry that help researchers find out what really happens on the saddle and beyond.
30
Fang, Zhou. "Reweighting methods in high dimensional regression." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2012. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:26f8541a-9e2d-466a-84aa-e6850c4baba9.
Full textAbstract:
In this thesis, we focus on the application of covariate reweighting with Lasso-style methods for regression in high dimensions, particularly where p ≥ n. We apply a particular focus to the case of sparse regression under a-priori grouping structures. In such problems, even in the linear case, accurate estimation is difficult. Various authors have suggested ideas such as the Group Lasso and the Sparse Group Lasso, based on convex penalties, or alternatively methods like the Group Bridge, which rely on convergence under repetition to some local minimum of a concave penalised likelihood. We propose in this thesis a methodology that uses concave penalties to inspire a procedure whereupon we compute weights from an initial estimate, and then do a single second reweighted Lasso. This procedure -- the Co-adaptive Lasso -- obtains excellent results in empirical experiments, and we present some theoretical prediction and estimation error bounds. Further, several extensions and variants of the procedure are discussed and studied. In particular, we propose a Lasso style method of doing additive isotonic regression in high dimensions, the Liso algorithm, and enhance it using the Co-adaptive methodology. We also propose a method of producing rules based regression estimates for high dimensional non-parametric regression, that often outperforms the current leading method, the RuleFit algorithm. We also discuss extensions involving robust statistics applied to weight computation, repeating the algorithm, and online computation.
31
Elkins, Darren R. "Homework, a bridge Between Therapy and Life: Therapeutic Methodology in the Assignment of Homework and Homework Compliance." DigitalCommons@USU, 2005. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/2554.
Full textAbstract:
The aim of this research was to investigate the relationship between homework methodology and compliance. The "Clinical Perception of Homework Style and Compliance Survey" was developed to measure compliance, methodology, and relating variables. A convenience sample consisted of 121 participants in this study. Participating therapists were asked to rate the likelihood of using various examples of homework methodologies and estimate the compliance they have received over the past 3 months. The results show that items used on the survey factored into two groups, which can be called direct and collaborative. Neither of the groups (i.e., direct and collaborative) was significantly correlated with homework compliance. Further conceptualization of the collaborative methodology was proposed. Implications for future research were highlighted.
32
Eneroth, Tomas. "Evaluation of Environmental Impacts of the Current and Proposed Municipal Solid Waste Management System in the Districts of Bethlehem and Al Khalil, Palestine, Using Cost/Benefit-Analysis Methodology." Thesis, KTH, Industriell ekologi, 2004. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-32577.
Full textAbstract:
Improper waste management can have large impacts on the environment and thepopulation. Spreading of deceases, degradation of groundwater and air pollution maycause major problems and give rise to a number of different secondary problems suchas economic losses and loss of aesthetic values. In Palestine these problems have beenacknowledged in the Palestinian Environmental Strategy, and the work for developingwaste management systems have been initialized. When deciding upon new policies regarding waste management (or any other policyfor that matter), the most reasonable way of doing this should be to compare differentalternatives on a scientific basis using transparent methods. If the alternatives areevaluated using “gut feeling” or if different methods are employed for differentalternatives, how can the comparison be considered fair? Therefore a number ofanalysis tools have been developed. Cost/Benefit Analysis (CBA) is one of them. CBA can be summarized as a method where the impacts of a system are somehowquantified, and those quantities are monetarized, i.e. a price is put on them per unit.This method has a number of difficulties and questionable aspects to it, but at least itis based on transparent information. The aim of this work is to quantify and, wherepossible, monetarize the impacts of the current waste management system and the oneproposed in the Palestinian Environmental Strategy. Four environmental indicatorshave been identified and quantified; Water Pollution, Air Pollution, Loss ofRecreational and Aesthetic Values and Landscape degradation. Only one of theseindicators have been monetarized though - Air Pollution. The results somewhat showsthe difference between a centralized and a decentralized system; a large difference inair pollution due to increased transports for the centralized scenario and a largedifference in local impacts such as loss of recreational and aesthetic values for thedecentralized scenario. When put in a context of impacts in other areas, such aseconomical, health and social impacts, the results may very well contribute to thedecision making process.<br>www.ima.kth.se
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Henckel, Svante. "Från föreställningar till relevanta system : Linköpings universitetsbibliotek analyseras med hjälp av Soft Systems Methodology." Thesis, Högskolan i Borås, Institutionen Biblioteks- och informationsvetenskap / Bibliotekshögskolan, 1996. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hb:diva-17763.
Full textAbstract:
The background to this thesis is the impact of information technology on libraries and librarywork. If information technology causes changes in the tasks and work of libraries, thenlibrary organisations should also change. It is important to engage and inform the staff if suchchanges are to succeed. This thesis investigates the notions about library tasks and librarywork among eight "middle-managers" at Linkopings universitetsbibliotek.The investigation is based on interviews and then analysed with Soft Systems Methodology(SSM). By identifying the "Weltanschauung" of the staff, the thesis tries to create logicallydesirable and culturally feasible models of systems relevant to the situation at Linkopingsuniversitetsbibliotek. Based on the interviews, this thesis proposes two such models.The first model aims to make the library users competent to seek, find and evaluate their owninformation. The aim of the second model is to make library work more efficient by gettingthe staff to see themselves as parts of a process instead of isolated functions.
34
Nilsson, Maria. "Capturing semi-automated decision making : the methodology of CASADEMA." Doctoral thesis, Örebro universitet, Akademin för naturvetenskap och teknik, 2010. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:oru:diva-12559.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis presents a new methodology named CASADEMA (CApturing Semi-Automated DEcision MAking) which captures the interaction between humans and the technology they use to support their decision-making within the domain of Information Fusion. We are particularly interested in characterising the interaction between human decision makers and artefacts in semi-automated fusion processes. In our investigation we found that the existing approaches are limited in their ability to capture such interactions in sufficient detail. The presented method is built upon a distributed-cognition perspective. The use of this particular theoretical framework from cognitive science enables the method to take into account not only the role of the data captured in the physical and digital artefacts of the fusion system (e.g., radar readings, information from a fax or database, a piece of paper, etc.), but also the cognitive support function of the artefacts themselves (e.g., as an external memory) as part of the fusion process. That is, the interdependencies between the fusion process and decision-making can be captured. This thesis thus contributes to two main fields. Firstly, it enables, through CASADEMA, a distributed-cognition perspective of fusion processes in the, otherwise, rather technology-oriented field of Information Fusion. This has important conceptual implications, since it views fusion processes as extending beyond the boundary of physical/computer systems, to include humans, technology, and tools, as well as the interactions between them. It is argued that a better understanding of these interactions can lead to a better design of fusion processes, making CASADEMA an important contribution to the information fusion field. Secondly, the thesis provides, again in the form of CASADEMA, a practical application of the distributed-cognition theoretical framework. Importantly, the notations and definitions introduced in CASADEMA structure the otherwise currently rather loosely defined concepts and approaches in distributed cognition research. Hence, the work presented here also contributes to the fields of cognitive science and human-computer interaction.<br><p>Examining Committee: Henrik Artman, Docent (Kungliga tekniska högskolan), Nils Dahlbäck, Professor (Linköpings universitet), Anna-Lisa Osvalder, Professor (Chalmers tekniska högskola)</p>
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Topkaya, Sevinc Elif. "Mobbing With A Gender Perspective: How Women Perceive, Experience And Are Affected From It?" Master's thesis, METU, 2011. http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12613983/index.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
This study was carried out with the objective of exploring mobbing with a gender perspective. Studies done so far on mobbing have employed a gender-neutral approach to the phenomenon, suggesting that there was no relationship between gender and mobbing. However, recent feminist studies suggest that, feminist theory,masculinity theory and gendered organizations theory explain how mobbing is in
relation with gender. This study analyzed how women perceive, experience and are affected from mobbing in light of explanations offered by these theories. In this
context, in-depth interviews were carried out with nine women employees from private sector and eleven women employees from public sector, in total 20 women employees. As a result of this study, depending on the reasons of victimization, types of mobbing is divided in to three categories. They are &ldquo<br>political mobbing&rdquo<br>,&ldquo<br>individual mobbing&rdquo<br>and &ldquo<br>organizational mobbing&rdquo<br>. The mobbing behaviors that
these 20 women were exposed to were also identified. According to the findings of the study women move away from the workplace or exit from work life through transfer, retirement or resignation as a result of mobbing they have lived. Findings of the study show that mobbing has serious effects on psychical and psychological health of the individuals. Although gender was not found to be major factor for being chosen as a target, it intensifies the negative consequences for women through the mobbing process and afterwards, in work life and private life social relations. As a
result of this study, it is observed that gender significantly influences women&rsquo<br>s mobbing experiences.
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Åsblom, Sköld Sanna, and Rebecka Gustavsson. "Ett måltidsekologiskt perspektiv på havets läckerheter : vad smakar alger?" Thesis, Örebro universitet, Restaurang- och hotellhögskolan, 2014. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:oru:diva-52408.
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Price-Tebbutt, Nicola Vernier. "Re-imagining the theology of human sexuality in the Methodist Church : the use of narrative in theological methodology." Thesis, University of Glasgow, 2016. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/7801/.
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This thesis proposes the development of a narrative methodology in the British Methodist Church. Such a methodology embraces and communicates both felt experience and critical theological thinking, thus producing and presenting a theology that might have a constructive transformative impact on wider society. In chapter one I explore the ways in which the Church speaks in public, identify some of the challenges it faces, and consider four models of engagement. If the Church is to engage in public discourses then I argue that its words need to be relevant and connect with people’s experiences. To ground the thinking I focus on the context of the British Methodist Church and explore how the Church engages in theological reflection through the lens of its thinking on issues of human sexuality. Chapter two reviews how theological reflection is undertaken in the British Methodist Church. I describe how the Methodist Quadrilateral of Scripture, tradition, reason and experience remains a foundational framework for theological reflection within the Methodist Church and consider the impact of institutional processes and the ways in which the Methodist people actually engage with theological thinking. The third and fourth chapters focus on how the British Methodist Church has produced its theology of human sexuality, giving particular attention to the use of personal and sexual stories in this process. I find that whilst there has been a desire to listen to the stories of the Methodist people, there has not been a corresponding interrogation or analysis of their stories so as to enable robust and constructive theological reflection on these experiences. Using resources from Foucauldian approaches to discourse analysis, I critique key statements and the processes involved in their production, offering an analysis of this body of theological thinking and indicating where possibilities for alternative ways of thinking and acting arise. The proposed methodology draws upon resources from social science methodologies, and in chapter five I look at the use of personal experience and relevant strategies of inquiry that prompt reflection on the hermeneutical process and employ narrative approaches in undertaking, analysing and presenting research. The exploration shows that qualitative research methodologies offer resources and methods of inquiry that could help the Church to engage with personal stories in its theological thinking in a robust, interrogative and imaginative way. In chapter six an examination of story and narrative is undertaken, to show how they have been understood as ways of knowing and how they relate to theological inquiry. Whilst acknowledging some of the limitations of narrative, I indicate how it offers constructive possibilities for theological reflection and could be a means for the British Methodist Church to engage in public discourse. This is explored further in chapter seven, which looks in more detail at how the British Methodist Church has used narrative in its theological thinking, and outlines areas requiring further attention in order for a narrative theological methodology to be developed, namely: attention to the question ‘whose experience?’; investigation of issues of power and the dynamics involved in the process of the production of theological thought; how personal stories and experiences are interrogated and how narrative is constructed; and how narrative might be employed within the Methodist Quadrilateral. The final chapter considers the advantages and limitations of such an approach, whether the development of such a method is possible in the Methodist Church today and its potential for helping the Church to engage in public discourse more effectively. I argue that this methodology can provoke new theological insights and enable new ways of being in the world.
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Perkins, Nathan. "Parental Perceptions and Experiences of Physical and Emotional Violence between Siblings: A Mixed-Methods, Comparative Case Study." VCU Scholars Compass, 2014. http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/3349.
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Sibling violence is a common occurrence for many children yet this form of family violence has received minimal attention in research compared to other forms of child maltreatment. With parents as an integral component in the lives of many children, parental perceptions and experiences of violence between siblings are important to understand. Furthermore, with the increased variation in family structures within society, inclusion of multiple types of families in research is necessary to encompass a broad understanding of sibling violence. This case study included seven parents from four different family structures to examine their perceptions and experiences of physical and emotional violence between siblings. Three phases of data collection including both quantitative and qualitative data gathered information about participants’ experiences with siblings in childhood, witnessed behaviors between children, behaviors associated with sibling violence and sibling rivalry, and labels used to refer to violence between siblings. Participants were also presented with several case scenarios depicting various sibling interactions in which they processed the degree to which they found the behaviors violent or non-violent. Findings indicate that family structure is less important than past and present environmental and contextual factors in understanding participant differentiation between problematic and non-problematic behaviors between siblings. Data from all three phases helped in the construction of a parental decision-making model of sibling interaction that included consideration of past experiences, children factors, the context of interaction, and family rules when classifying behaviors. Implications of the findings for social work direct practice, policy aimed at addressing violence between siblings, advocacy through parental education, social work education, and future directions for research in the area of sibling violence are presented.
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Lipscomb, Martin. "The theory and application of critical realist philosophy and morphogenetic methodology : emergent structural and agential relations at a hospice." Thesis, University of the West of England, Bristol, 2009. http://eprints.uwe.ac.uk/18444/.
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Graversen, Therese. "Statistical and computational methodology for the analysis of forensic DNA mixtures with artefacts." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2014. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:4c3bfc88-25e7-4c5b-968f-10a35f5b82b0.
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This thesis proposes and discusses a statistical model for interpreting forensic DNA mixtures. We develop methods for estimation of model parameters and assessing the uncertainty of the estimated quantities. Further, we discuss how to interpret the mixture in terms of predicting the set of contributors. We emphasise the importance of challenging any interpretation of a particular mixture, and for this purpose we develop a set of diagnostic tools that can be used in assessing the adequacy of the model to the data at hand as well as in a systematic validation of the model on experimental data. An important feature of this work is that all methodology is developed entirely within the framework of the adopted model, ensuring a transparent and consistent analysis. To overcome the challenge that lies in handling the large state space for DNA profiles, we propose a representation of a genotype that exhibits a Markov structure. Further, we develop methods for efficient and exact computation in a Bayesian network. An implementation of the model and methodology is available through the R package DNAmixtures.
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Ozaydin, Elif. "A Strategic Planning Approach At A Gypsumboard Producing Company." Master's thesis, METU, 2008. http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/3/12608984/index.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
ABSTRACT
STRATEGIC PLANNING
FOR A
GYPSUM PLASTERBOARD PRODUCING COMPANY
Ö<br>zaydin, Elif
M.Sc. Department of Industrial Engineering
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ç<br>aglar Gü<br>ven
October 2007, 118 pages
This thesis creates a specific methodology for strategy development while drawing on
approaches reported in the literature. The analysis is done at a company that produces
gypsum, gypsum board, and related products. A sequential planning method is used where an
environmental analysis is conducted in order to define the features of the environment that the
company operates in. Then a capability analysis reveals the strengths and weaknesses of the
company. For strategy development, this thesis introduces a position index that is used to
discuss and differentiate alternative positions. Strategic options for a position are determined
by common methods and results from the analyses. The evaluation is conducted with company
management, and finally a future position is determined considering company objectives.
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Brankovic, Anna-Maria, and Mona Labidi. "Formativ bedömning och individanpassad undervisning i matematik. En inblick i hur dessa metoder ter sig i grundskolan." Thesis, Malmö högskola, Fakulteten för lärande och samhälle (LS), 2015. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-29495.
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Syftet med arbetet är att undersöka hur lärare resonerar kring hur de arbetar med formativ bedömning och individanpassad undervisning i matematikundervisningen i grundskolan. Vi har därför undersökt detta område närmare genom en empirisk enkätstudie. Vårt urval har bestått av respondenter som dagligen möter denna problematik och som har erfarenheter inom området d.v.s. grundskollärare.Hälften av respondenterna hävdade att de individanpassade matematikundervisningen i stor utsträckning, resterande i måttlig eller liten utsträckning. Gällande frågan om formativ bedömning svarade omkring hälften av respondenterna att implementeringen av formativ bedömning sker i stor utsträckning och resterande i liten eller måttlig utsträckning. Av resultaten framstod fem vanligt förekommande formativa strategier som användes i matematikundervisningen dagligen. Häpnadsväckande nog har även Wiliam (2013) betonat vikten av och behandlat samma strategier som förekom i den empiriska studien.<br>The aim is to examine how teachers reason about how they work with formative assessment and individualized instruction in mathematics teaching in primary schools. We have therefore studied this area in more detail by an empirical survey. Our sample consisted of respondents who daily face this problem and who have experience in the area i.e. primary school teachers.Half of the respondents claimed that they personalized mathematics teaching extensively, remaining in moderate or small extent. Regarding the issue of formative assessment about half of the respondents claimed to the implementation of formative assessment is done extensively and the remainder in small or moderate extent.In the result it appeared five common formative strategies used in mathematics instruction daily. Astoundingly, even Wiliam (2013) emphasized the importance of the same strategies that appeared in the empirical study.
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Maniatakou, Sofia. "Unraveling diverse values of ecosystem services : A socio-cultural valuation using the Q-methodology in Messenia, Greece." Thesis, Stockholms universitet, Stockholm Resilience Centre, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-170434.
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People perceive the importance of ecosystem services in different ways, depending on their values, beliefs and needs. This study provides a nuanced understanding of the multiple ways stakeholder groups perceive the benefits derived from hydrologic services in the surrounding area of the "Gialova" coastal wetland in Messenia, Greece. The social-ecological system of this region depends on a steady flow of water-related ecosystem services and livelihoods are closely linked to agriculture and tourism. At the same time, these activities, along with climate change driven weather extremes, could affect regional water quality and availability. The objective of the study is to understand the stakeholders' key viewpoints on water-based ecosystem services (WES) and provide contextual information regarding the drivers affecting the identified WES. A "value pluralism" lens is applied to capture the multiple dimensions of values expressed by the participants of the study. The study's primary method is "Q-methodology", a participatory mixed-methods approach suitable for eliciting patterns of valuation that are held in common within a group. Thirty-two stakeholders participated in the study and the analysis highlighted five key perspectives, titled "Basic needs first", "Us vs. them", "Tradition and history", "Modern environmentalists" and "Ecocentric". The results indicate different perceptions of the importance of WES, alongside a range of multiple explanations of why the WES are important. The five perspectives were compared and they reflected divergent understandings of i) the nested nature of socio-ecological systems, ii) spatial perception of ecosystem services and, iii) trade-off between relational and instrumental values. The points of consensus and disagreement among the participants along with their perceptions of drivers of change, suggest promising leverage points for sustainable and inclusive water resource management. In addition, this empirical case study contributes methodological insights to the ecosystem services socio-cultural valuation body of literature.
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Spross, Linn. "Självförfattning, läckage och olikhet : Om att kombinera kvantitativ metod och queera teorier i sexualitetsstudier." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Sociologiska institutionen, 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-175288.
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The aim of this study is to combine queer theories with quantitative methods. In social sciences, queer theories are being widely and increasingly used. Quantitative method is also widely used, and as a traditional method it can be regarded as a cornerstone in social sciences, sociology in particular. However, the two perspectives, queer theories and quantitative method, seem at a first glance to be very different in their understanding of social phenomena. Queer theories have, with some exceptions, mainly focused on qualitative research concerning such phenomena as sexuality, while the field of science is quite diverse. In this field, except from qualitative, queer research, there are also quantitative studies that use surveys to gather information.This study combines the two perspectives, thus creating a study inspired by queer theories and focusing on the methodological problems that occur when embracing queer theories’ elements of difference and social constructivism, and using a method which aims to standardize… The study also explores if the descriptions of sex and sexuality proposed by queer theories are reflected in the population. Using surveys, information have been gathered from students of five different institutions at Uppsala University.
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Seifert, Claudia, and n/a. "The genesis of organisational crisis : a theory-building approach." University of Otago. Department of Management, 2007. http://adt.otago.ac.nz./public/adt-NZDU20070608.100146.
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The aim of this thesis is to improve our understanding of the causes of organisational crisis. As crisis genesis research is still in its infancy, the main objective is to develop a theoretical framework that is well-grounded in data of crisis-causal processes.
The first part of the literature review examines the need for crisis-causal research and comes to the following conclusions: Crises are significant phenomena for organisations. During crises, a company�s survival is threatened and its central functions are deeply affected. Although interest in crisis research developed strongly over the last decade, the field is still in a pre-paradigmatic stage that requires an inductive logic of inquiry. In addition, the majority of research in this field is focused on the consequences of crises. This preponderance towards crisis consequences leaves crisis-causal research under-theorised. Hence, theory-building on the genesis of organisational crisis represents an important gap that needs to be addressed.
The second part of the literature review presents the small field of extant causal research on crises as well as on crisis-related phenomena such as disasters. Insights of these studies are used to pre-specify potentially relevant constructs as well as to develop methodological implications for the subsequent theory-building task.
In this thesis a case study methodology is employed. Four cases of crisis-causal processes in large U.S. public companies were examined in-depth. Firstly, a within-case analysis was conducted. Secondly, the results of each case were compared in an across-case analysis. For both analyses, four analytical strategies were employed, namely a quantification strategy, a narrative strategy, a visual mapping strategy and, most importantly, a grounded theory strategy.
The results of the analysis are five well-grounded constructs that aim to explain the crisis-causal process common across cases. These constructs are the building blocks for two theoretical frameworks developed in this thesis. While the first framework presents a simple graphic depiction of these constructs, the second framework demonstrates how these constructs are linked. In general, the results suggest that a crisis is caused by a combination of company-specific factors and underlying dynamics that evolve through three distinct phases in an exponential fashion: a phase of stability (pre-crisis stage), a phase of increasing instability (crisis onset) and a phase of resolution (crisis and its aftermath). By setting up positive feedback loops that continually magnify the severity of problems generated by events, a self-reinforcing vicious cycle is established that increases the onset of crisis at an exponentional rate.
The results suggest that a crisis unfolds due to a problem structure which becomes increasingly intractable. This is accompanied by an increasing number of events that the organisation needs to deal with as it approaches the crisis point. In addition, three underlying dynamics were identified as crisis-contributing factors: a process of increasing denial, a process of decreasing degrees of freedom and a process of decreasing support of key players.
The thesis closes with a summary and discussion of the results. It is illustrated to what extent the theory developed in this work links to concurring and conflicting findings of the extant body of crisis knowledge.
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Mulbah, Julateh K., and Kahsay Tilahun Gebreslassie. "CO2-efficient retail locations: Building a web-based DSS by the Waterfall Methodology." Thesis, Högskolan Dalarna, Institutionen för information och teknik, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:du-37741.
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Several studies have been carryout on finding optimal locations to minimize CO2 emissions from the last mile distribution perspective. In conjunction with that, there has been no study conducted in Sweden that provides a decision support system to compute the transport consequences of the modifications in the retailer’s store network. This thesis did used the following steps: requirement analysis, system design, implementation and testing to build a prototype decision support system that is to help retailers find optimal locations for a new retail store. This thesis provided a subsequent answer as to which data are needed along with the rightful user interface for said decision support system. Subsequently, this thesis does present a decision support system prototype from which some recommendations were provided as to what skills set and tools are needed for the management and maintenance of said decision support system. The primary data used during this thesis is the Dalarna municipalities, six selected retailer’s stores networks and the Dalarna Road network geo-data (Longitude and latitude). This thesis does conclude that it is possible to integrate an optimization model within the Django framework using a geo data to build a decision support system.
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Milanello, Henrique Nagashima. "A metateoria social de Herbert Blumer: esboço para uma reconstrução metodológica do interacionismo simbólico." Universidade de São Paulo, 2014. http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/8/8132/tde-06052015-154744/.
Full textAbstract:
Este trabalho é uma tentativa de reconstrução metodológica parcial do pensamento de Herbert Blumer e de seu interacionismo simbólico sob a luz da polêmica entre causalidade e compreensão, que emerge no seio das discussões acerca da natureza das explicações nas ciências sociais. Assim, tem-se enfocado principalmente sua tese de doutorado, Method in Social Psychology, a fim de deslindar a concatenação dos elementos explícitos e implícitos de fundamentação ontológica, epistemológica e lógica em um esquema-base compreensivo. Com ele, pretende-se analisar mais detalhadamente o modo como o pensamento de Blumer se estrutura metateoricamente e como o impasse de suas reflexões teóricas vêm a incorrer em problemáticas contidas nessa estrutura. Ao final, tem-se indicado um passo de uma mera reconstrução analítico-descritiva, tateando em Weber, Schütz e no realismo científico as bases para um desenvolvimento analítico-crítico de sua metateoria compreensiva.<br>This work is an attempt to a partial reconstruction of the methodological thinking of Herbert Blumer and its symbolic interactionism in the light of the controversy between causality and understanding. This controversy emerges within discussions about the nature of explanation in the social sciences. Thus, we have focused mainly on his doctoral thesis, Method in Social Psychology, in order to disentangle the concatenation of the explicit and implicit elements of ontological, epistemological and logical reasoning in his metatheoretical scheme of understanding. With it, we intend to analyze in more detail how the thought of Blumer is metatheoretically structured and how the dilemma of its theoretical reflections come to incur in problematic issues contained in this structure. At the end, it has been indicated a next step from a mere analytical-descriptive reconstruction, groping Weber, Schütz and the scientific realism as basis for an analytical-critical development of its metatheory of understanding
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Bajraktari, Florentina, Rosamund Mosse, and Voto Gabriel Neira. "Transforming U.Lab : Re-designing a participatory methodology using a strategic sustainable perspective." Thesis, Blekinge Tekniska Högskola, Institutionen för strategisk hållbar utveckling, 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:bth-12938.
Full textAbstract:
Currently society is facing a set of interconnected challenges, known collectively as the Sustainability Challenge, which are systematically increasing socio-ecological unsustainability on a scale never experienced before. In order to address the Sustainability Challenge, Social Labs provide an approach that is systemic, participatory and emergent, enabling solutions that are responsive to the dynamic nature of those interconnected challenges. Our research explores how a specific lab - U.Lab - can be re-designed in order to move society strategically toward a sustainable future. We use the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development, designed to help practitioners to facilitate society’s transition towards sustainable development, as well as concepts of strategic sustainable development, which support s shift from unsustainable systems, structures and practices towards sustainable ones in a strategic way. Our research follows Design Research Methodology (DRM). DRM aims for the formulation, validation and development of theories and models in the field of design. U.Lab’s experiential response to the Sustainability Challenge inspires participants to question paradigms of thought and societal norms. However, U.Lab is still an emerging social technology and lacks boundary conditions and a scientific basis for understanding our current reality and creating the solutions that will lead society systematically towards a sustainable future.
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Anderson, LaKesha Nichole. "Bridging the Gap between Medical Science and Communication: An Interpretive Analysis of Messages Portrayed on Endometriosis Websites." [Johnson City, Tenn. : East Tennessee State University], 2004. http://etd-submit.etsu.edu/etd/theses/available/etd-0329104-223652/unrestricted/AndersonN041204.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (M.A.)--East Tennessee State University, 2004.<br>Title from electronic submission form. ETSU ETD database URN: etd-0329104-223652. Includes bibliographical references. Also available via Internet at the UMI web site.
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Alkurt, Saygin Vedat. "Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping: A Case Study On Turkish Ngos." Master's thesis, METU, 2013. http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12615665/index.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping is used as an effective tool to grasp complex systems. Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping, which is based on quantification of qualitative data, can be considered as a hybrid mix of quantitative and qualitative methods, and its roots can be traced back to graph theory.
The basic purpose of this study is to discuss Fuzzy Cognitive Maps in methodological terms and develop suggestions for using maps drawn within two different frameworks. By this, Fuzzy Cognitive Maps applied in similar fields will be evaluated at one level. For this purpose, the thesis will utilize the data derived from maps drawn by NGO directors in Turkey. In the case study, cognitive maps are drawn around two concepts: the reputation of civil society in Turkey and its influence power.
Due to their qualitative character, Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping is a research tool suitable for making comparative analysis. Divided into city and activity categories, the database of case study used in this thesis provided comparable data. Categorical differences are evaluated through drawing cognitive maps out of database.