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Tootell, Holly. "The social impact of using automatic identification technologies and location-based services in national security." Access electronically, 2007. http://www.library.uow.edu.au/adt-NWU/public/adt-NWU20080519.145309/index.html.
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Kilembe, Busekese. "RE-VISIONING MARXISM IN WORLD POLITICS: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF WALLERSTEIN’S WORLD-SYSTEMS THEORY." Thesis, Malmö högskola, Fakulteten för kultur och samhälle (KS), 2010. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-22652.
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This thesis purports to critically analyze Wallerstien’s world-systems theory, to test its strengths and weaknesses and establish its reliability as a world politics theory, thereby reviving Marxism in general. The study employs a qualitative research method to go deep into the underlying logic of the theory.In an endeavor to tackle the matter at hand, five criteria of analysis are employed to examine the merits and demerits in specific areas of the theory. This involves looking at the structure of the theory, the period of the emergence of capitalism, the unit of analysis, the coherence of the arguments and processes of the theory and the reliability of the world-systems theory in contemporary world politics. The main conclusion of the study is that the world-systems theory is reliable when used to explain three themes in world politics. These are global inequality, dependency and sovereignty.
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Tashev, Azamat. "Understanding Ecosystem Services through Organizational Analysis: Application to the Truckee-Carson River System." Ohio University / OhioLINK, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1515072255449453.
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Moir, Mark James. "Contextual Leadership: The Social Construction of Leadership in a Comprehensive Healthcare System." [Yellow Springs, Ohio] : Antioch University, 2009. http://etd.ohiolink.edu/view.cgi?acc_num=antioch1247843733.
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Thesis (Ph.D.)--Antioch University, 2009.Title from PDF t.p. (viewed October 7, 2009). Advisor: Elizabeth Holloway, Ph.D. "A dissertation submitted to the Ph.D. in Leadership and Change program of Antioch University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2009."--from the title page. Includes bibliographical references (p. 151-161).
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Williams, D. "Social practice theory and sustainable mobility : an analysis of the English local transport planning as a system of provision." Thesis, University of the West of England, Bristol, 2014. http://eprints.uwe.ac.uk/24486/.
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The UK Government is committed to reducing Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by 80% from 1990 levels by 2050. Reducing emissions from motorised transport and changing travel behaviour of people wishing to travel are two possible means of achieving this. To support schemes designed to change behaviour the UK Government provided a five year funding stream to local authorities in England (excluding London) called the Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF). The LSTF funding creates an opportunity for people to change the way they travel, through the provision of new infrastructure and training. This research is designed to understand how the transport system influences creates this opportunity. This thesis investigates an alternative approach to the existing dominant behaviour change paradigm of behavioural economic theory, favoured by the UK Government. The research examines using the potential benefits of applying the sociological method of Social Practice Theory (SPT). SPT is different to psychology-based approaches as it considers the ‘practice’ that is being undertaken, rather than focusing on the individual undertaking the action. The research explores Shove et al.’s (2012) 3-Elements model, an accessible representation of the complexities of SPT, to demonstrate whether the materials, meanings and competences that make up a social practice are reflected in the design of the sustainable transport bids for LSTF funding and, if not, how the bids could be improved by incorporating the SPT perspective. The research applies SPT in two ways. Firstly, an analysis was undertaken of LSTF bid documents to understand what elements of the practice(s) of travelling the proposed schemes were trying to alter. Secondly, it examines the practices of transport planning itself (in the context of the LSTF). Through the development of the research it became evident that the 3-Elements model would not provide a sufficient explanation of the practices of transport planning. A new conceptual model was therefore created incorporating Fine and Leopold’s (1993, 2002) Systems of Provision (SOP) model to identify the structures, processes, agents and relationships that exist within the Transport Planning SOP (TPSOP) that influence how practices are performed and how this ultimately influences the practices of travelling. The research has been developed from a critical realist perspective and constructs a narrative to explain what the 3-Elements and TPSOP conceptual models tell us about the transport planning sector and the practices of travel. As such does not seek an absolute truth as to the influences on the practices of travelling. The research uses a mixed methods approach to gathering data. This includes content analysis of all 145 LSTF bid submissions, a survey of the bid managers and semi-structured interviews with 23 transport professionals from across the TPSOP. The analysis of the results from the data collection found that the meanings within transport planning of what is defined as a sustainable transport initiative come from national government and this meaning has a direct influence on the types of schemes that were bid for by Local Authorities (LAs). The findings also identified that the national government exerted its power through the provision of funding to LAs who met their vision of what is defined as a sustainable transport scheme. Using the TPSOP conceptual model it was possible to demonstrate the importance of funding as a process, used to exert power. The research found that although the national government was able to exert this power through the delivery of sustainable transport initiatives, the use of funding only created the opportunity for change to occur, rather than creating change. The thesis provides a contribution to knowledge by exploring the applicability of the 3-Elements model to understanding the practices of transport planning and how they ultimately influence how travelling is performed. For example if funding is provided for the construction new carriageways to enable people to drive private motor vehicles, then this is how the practices of travelling are likely to be performed. The 3-Elements model is therefore a more useful tool for use in the design stage of transport initiatives to ensure the meanings that the initiative will create are better understood and mitigated at an earlier stage of the process. The research also demonstrated that the TPSOP model provided a means of describing the underlying mechanisms that exist within the complexes of practices, as defined by Shove et al. (2012). This is because the TPSOP model is able to highlight power relations and the processes used to control the system when attempting to create change. In addition to these conclusions the research identified changes required within the TPSOP to improve the performance of sustainable transport initiatives. These include changing the type of funding supplied to LAs to deliver sustainable transport initiatives to include more consistent funding for revenue based schemes to provide marketing, training programmes and the subsidising of key public transport services. Alterations are also required to the evaluation process for transport schemes to place a far greater emphasis on social, environmental and health impacts of transport.
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Kocak, Yunus Emre. "Power And Decline In The British And American Hegemonies: A Wallersteinian Analysis." Master's thesis, METU, 2006. http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12607960/index.pdf.
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The concept of hegemony has been an important subject in the 1970s as the US hegemonic position has entered into a decline period. This study aims to underline that the ongoing decline of US hegemony shares substantial analogies with the decline of British hegemony in the late 19th century. As the hegemonic economy enters into contraction period, it starts to experience financial expansion. Today, the US hegemony is in the midst of such an orientation toward the financialization. The study analyzes the historical changes within both hegemonic cases by direct references to the world-system theory and construct a comparative perspective in production, commerce and finance domains respectively to support these arguments.
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Christensen, David M. "Understanding the National Science Foundation's CAREER Award Proposal Genre: A Rhetorical, Ethnographic, and System Perspective." DigitalCommons@USU, 2011. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/923.
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With tightening university budgets, never before has the activity level of research grant proposal writing been more intense. With increased proposal numbers, including for the National Science Foundation's (NSF) prestigious CAREER award, has also come increased competition and decreased funding rates. This dissertation has searched for successful and unsuccessful characteristics from funded and unfunded CAREER proposals. The research focused on a study of two key subjects: 1) a corpus of 20 texts that included 12 funded proposals and 8 unfunded proposals from across NSF programs, and 2) an ethnographic analysis comprised from interviews with 14 NSF program officers (PO) from varying programs. Coding elements with the texts to uncover topical chains of content, rhetorical, and document design strategies revealed sound rhetorical moves and rhetorical mistakes. The study also illustrated evidence of adherence to or neglect of NSF-mandated writing/formatting conventions as connected to the likelihood of receiving funding. Moreover, the study revealed conventions that have developed for the genre that are not prescribed by NSF but that, nevertheless, seem to be expected. Through genre field analysis, the study's interviews with program officers (PO) revealed a system of genre-agents and player-agents that interact together in a highly rhetorical and social system. This system, comprised of locales in which a multitude of play scenarios can be enacted to exert influence, operates within fairly exact rules of play. Such rules may be published by NSF or simply be "understood," yet principal investigators (PI) are held accountable for them regardless. The ethnography created from interviews with POs revealed multiple genre field elements (e.g., genre- and player-agents, transformative locales, play scenarios, penalty conditions) as well as common mistakes and best practices. A complete mapping of the CAREER award proposal preparation, submission, and review process resulted from the study, which mapping has offered insightful strategies to expand PI (and other agents') influence on the funding process. The dissertation concluded by offering investigators a step-by-step process to identify and map the elements of the proposal genre field in which they operate.
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Egli, Rosalie, and Isabelle Roos. "Jag vill inte gå till skolan! : En kvalitativ studie om elevhälsans arbete med hemmasittare i Karlstad." Thesis, Mittuniversitetet, Avdelningen för socialt arbete, 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:miun:diva-30476.
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Introduction: The number of students with school refusal has remained at a constant level in Sweden since measurements began in 2006. School health service resources has been reduced since municipalisation which makes it difficult to intercept these students in time. Objective: To identify the tools of school health services, resources and professional skills with unauthorized absence, and the measures applied preventively. Method: A qualitative study based on seven semi-structured interviews with all professions within the school health services. Results: The school's responsibility affect both student health organization and the student's school structure. The new grades and subject schemes introduced in 2011 make higher requirements on today's students. It´s important that all of the school personell are aware of the problem and pursue the same objectives, for a good interaction. Discussion: School health services shared experiences around the concept school refusal behavior reflects the complexity of the problem. Knowledge and skills are important components. The school teams experience that they are self-taught regarding the subject but want further education and increased resources to be more preventive and relationship-building. Conclusion: Further Swedish research and knowledge is needed, as well as an improved definition of the concept in order to improve school health service’s work with school refusal students in student.Keywords:
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Bowers, Matthew. "Does Decertification Work? Outcome Analysis of the National Football Leagues Negotiated Order (1986-2008)." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2011. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1350.
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For decades, union membership and activity has been declining in North America; employers have demanded greater flexibility and have successfully weakened workplace and worker protections. Modern workers increasingly use alternative strategies to negotiate conditions of employment with managers who have limited their discretionary power. Negotiated order theory provides a useful tool for analyzing the mesostructural arrangements of bargaining parties during labor disputes. This thesis applies negotiated order theory to explore how and why the National Football League (NFL) players have twice decertified their union and sought court intervention to challenge the legitimacy of the League's highly restrictive reserve system. An outcome-focused content analysis was designed as a preliminary investigation to ascertain why an alternative strategy was sought and if the strategy proved more effective in securing the players' preferred ends than conventional collective bargaining. The NFL case offers a fixed market from which to formulate a negotiation context of the interorganizational structures and bargaining interactions of its members.
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Pearsall, Alison Jayne. "Enhancing the transitional care experiences of arrestees and remand prisoners with mental illness through intensive case management." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2016. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/enhancing-the-transitional-care-experiences-of-arrestees-and-remand-prisoners-with-mental-illness-through-intensive-case-management(8fea924e-e5db-4232-89bf-c11f6ad4c936).html.
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This thesis is an exploration of the perspectives of recipients and providers of health and criminal justice services about the transitional support needs of arrestees and remand prisoners, leaving short-term custody. The study implements Constructive Grounded Theory Methods, underpinned by the Network Theory of Social Capital as the theoretical framework. Forty-two semi-structured interviews were conducted, with five participant groups; service users (arrestees/remand prisoners), family/carers, mental health staff (criminal justice liaison and mental health in-reach, community mental health teams), criminal justice staff (police/prison officers) and mental health commissioners. Participants provided unique perspectives about the health and social support, available at the transitional points of leaving short-term custody. This was supported by the construction of 11 sociograms for service users, in both arrest (n=5) and remand (n=6) situations, to highlight the availability and functionality of support networks. Transitions are particularly problematic in relation to linking offenders with appropriate community-based mental health services. The over-arching constructed grounded theory is a need for a culture shift within health policy and practice to refocus on transitional care planning to optimise continuous care pathways. Associated themes include ‘lack of practical assistance’, ‘lack of crisis support’, ‘returning to the security of prison’ and ‘poor transition planning’. Critical Time Intervention, a variant of case management has demonstrated benefits when applied to mental health and offender populations, transiting from hospital and prison settings. The programme contains all the components of service that service users, carers and staff identified as important to effectively support transitions from short-term custody to the community.
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Markou, Christopher Phillip Stephen. "Law and artificial intelligence : a systems-theoretical analysis." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2018. https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/278977.
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Law and technology regularly conflict. The reasons for this are several and complex. Some conflicts are trivial and straightforwardly resolvable. Others, such as the creation of artificial minds, are not. History indicates that when law and technology conflict; both systems can adapt—often over periods of time—to new social circumstances and continue performing their societal functions. Simply: law and technology co-evolve. However, if the legal system is to retain its autonomous role in society, what are its adaptive limits in the context of profound, and perhaps unprecedented, technological changes? My thesis addresses the question of whether, and if so, to what extent, the legal system can respond to ‘conflicts’ with increasingly complex and legally problematic technological change. It draws on theories of legal and social evolution—particularly the Social Systems Theory (SST) of Niklas Luhmann—to explore the notion of a ‘lag’ in the legal system’s ability to respond to technological changes and ‘shocks’. It evaluates the claim that the legal system’s ‘lagged’ response to technological change is a deficit of its functioning. ‘Lag’ may be both good and bad. It allows the law to be self-referential while also limiting its effectiveness in controlling other sub-systems. Thus there is an implicit intersystemic trade-off. The hypothesis here: ‘lag’ is an endogenous legal advantage that helps to ensure the legal system’s autonomy, as well as the continuity of legal processes that help ameliorate potentially harmful or undesirable outcomes of science and technology on society and the individual. The legal system can adjust to technological change. However, it can only adjust its internal operations, which takes time and is constrained by the need to maintain legal autonomy—or in SST terms—sits autopoiesis. The signs of this adjustment are the conceptual evolution of legal concepts and processes related to new technological changes and risks, among other things. A close reading of Anglo-American legal history and jurisprudence supports this. While legal systems are comparatively inflexible in response to new technologies—due to doctrinal ossification and reliance upon precedent and analogy in legal reasoning—an alternative outcome is possible: the disintegration of the boundary between law and technology and the consequential loss of legal autonomy. The disintegration of this boundary would consequentially reduce society’s capacity to mediate and regulate technological change, thus diminishing the autopoiesis of the legal system. A change of this kind would be signalled by what some identify as the emergence of a technological ordering—or a ‘rule of technology’—displacing and potentially subsuming the rule of law. My thesis evaluates evidence for these two scenarios—the self-renewing capacity of the legal system, on the one hand, or its disintegration in response to technological change, on the other. These opposing scenarios are evaluated using a social ontological study of technology generally, and a case study using Artificial Intelligence (AI) specifically, to identify and predict the co- evolutionary dynamics of the law/technology relationship and assess the extent to which the legal system can shape, and be shaped by, technological change. In assessing this situation, this thesis explores the nature of AI, its benefits and drawbacks, and argues that its proliferation may require a corresponding shift in the fundamental mechanics of law. As AI standardises across industries and social sub-systems, centralised authorities such as government agencies, corporations, and indeed legal systems, may lose the ability to coordinate and regulate the activities of disparate persons through ex post regulatory means. Consequentially, there is a pressing need to understand not just how AI interfaces with existing legal frameworks, but how legal systems must pre-adapt to oncoming, and predominately unexplored, legal challenges. This thesis argues that AI is an autopoietic technology, and that there is thus a corresponding need to understand its intersystemic effects if there is to be an effective societal governance regime for it. This thesis demonstrates that SST provides us with the shared theoretical grammar to start and sustain this dialogue.
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Papadopoulos, Nikolaos. "Reconceptualing social defence theory for the purpose of organisational-level change : causes, consequences and the contribution of grid-group cultural theory." Thesis, Brunel University, 2015. http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/13447.
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Despite repeated demonstrations of the dysfunctional effects of social defences in organisations, social defence theory's (SDT) problem of organisational change (Long, 2006) remains. Why? Can this be avoided? The research centres on a four-year coaching and consulting project within a multinational manufacturing company. Social defences appeared but a careful Tavistock action-research intervention failed. Despite Menzies’ (1960) 'sociological innovation' that social defences are more than psychic phenomena and get built into organisations, she did not explain how this happens or what to do. A review of the literatures and case study revealed problems with the theory and intervention. Clues from Trist, Emery and Jaques suggested that both sociological and psychological theories are needed, implying that social defences be re-examined as both causes and symptoms. The change literature proposes that organisational change is qualitatively different from individual and team change (the focus of SDT). We develop realist explanations of the causes of social defences along with forecasting of their consequences, while retaining Tavistock interpretive methods. The cultural theory (CT) of anthropologist, Mary Douglas, emerged as the preferred sociological resource. We reconceptualise social defences as 'informal institutions' carrying implicit rules, norms and 'ways of thinking' that generate consequences (feedback). CT posits that contending 'thought-styles' derive from Strong/Weak Social Regulation and Strong/Weak Social Integration (solidarity). Anxiety and social defences may be understood as directed against a prevailing thought-style and the practices it inspires: leading to either task-undermining or anxiety-circumventing behaviour in service of task. Together, SDT and CT improve our capacity for diagnosing and facilitating change. SDT recognises that social defences are forewarnings of unspecified troubles ahead, but does not explain or forecast what these might be. CT improves our forecasting of the effects of social defences. SDT assists CT in seeing anxiety and defences as significant evidence of cultural shifts and realigning of the organising logic of institutions. This thesis should appeal to leaders who prioritise 'financial' rationality; and to change agents concerned with reading 'emotional' warning-signs and enhancing an organisation's capacity to do things differently.
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Lee, Junghyae. "ASSESSING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SCHOOL-BASED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN LOW-INCOME URBAN STUDENTS." Kent State University / OhioLINK, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1531494688182983.
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Grip, Cajza, and Kristin Nåhdin. "Bristande Föräldraskap : en studie om föräldrabedömning och förutsättningar för samverkan mellan två instanser kring föräldraskapet." Thesis, University West, Division of Social Pedagogy and Sociology, 2009. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hv:diva-1609.
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Den här uppsatsen är en studie om föräldrar och föräldraskap. Vårt syfte med studien är att se hur företrädare för två instanser gör bedömningar av föräldrar som anses brista i sin omsorgsförmåga. De valda instanserna är en myndighetsinstans och en utförarinstans. Våra frågor i studien är: hur beskriver de nämnda organisationerna ett gott föräldraskap/ föräldraförmåga? Vilka faktorer vägs in i bedömningen av föräldraförmågan? Vilka riktlinjer/ arbetsmodeller utgår organisationerna ifrån? I vilken utsträckning samverkar organisationerna kring stöd och bedömning? Det här är en empirisk studie, där vi har intervjuat företrädare för två instanser, totalt fyra grup-per. Vi har använt hermeneutisk tolkning för att se på det empiriska materialet. Vår analys är grundad utifrån systemteori, intersektionalitet och samverkansteori. Begreppen vi undersökt är gott föräldraskap och tillräckligt bra. Synen på begreppet tillräckligt bra/ good enough varierade beroende på om de var på svenska eller engelska. Överlag är gott föräldraskap när den känslo-mässiga och fysiska omsorgen står i relation till barnets behov. Resultatet som vi kommit fram till är att dessa två instanser har samsyn kring de begrepp som vi undersökt. Vidare beskriver denna studie förutsättningarna för samverkan samt betydelsen av att sträva mot ett gemensamt språk. Vår slutsats är att dessa begrepp, framförallt tillräckligt bra, är väldigt subjektiva och att det är svårt att skriva ner kriterier. Detta beror på att det handlar om människor. Vidare visar denna studie även att instanserna samverkar med varandra kring männi-skor. I diskussionsdelen beskrivs det socialpedagogiska förhållningssättet som inkluderar det salutoge-na perspektivet, intersektionalitet och empowerment.
This paper is a study about parents and parenting. Our purpose with this study is to see how rep-resentatives from two authorities make valuation of parents that lack parenting skills. The chosen authorities are an authority and one performer of task. Our questions are: defined by the authori-ties – what do good parenting mean? Which factors are considered in an assessment of parents? What kind of guidelines/ work models do the organisations have? To what extent do these two authorities collaborate around support and assessment? This is an empirical study, were we have interviewed representatives from two authorities, in total four groups. We have used hermeneutic interpretation to look at the empirical material. Our analy-sis is built on the system theory, intersectional analysis and collaboration theory. The terms we examined were good parenting and good enough. The view of the term good enough depended on if the term was in Swedish or in English. Overall, good parenting is when the emotional and physical care is in relation to the needs of the child. The result we found was that these two authorities share the same view on the terms that we ex-amine. Further on we describe the condition for collaboration and the meaning of reaching for the same “language”. Our conclusion is that these terms, especially good enough, is very subjective and that it´s hard to write down criteria’s. This because it´s all about people. This study also shows that the authorities work together around people. In the discussion describes the social pedagogues’ approach that includes a salutogen perspective, intersectional analysis and empowerment.
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Vörös, András. "The emergence of multiple status systems in adolescent communities : a multiplex network theory of group formation." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2015. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:9590194f-84e9-4548-b1fe-cf2f64ffc329.
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How do informal groups emerge in adolescent communities? What distinguishes a group from just a set of students? Who will end up together in a group and who will be left out? Why are there more groups in some classrooms and fewer in others? What determines whether these groups overlap in their members or they are completely segregated, perhaps antagonistic? While a huge body of research in sociology and social psychology focuses on these questions, an integrated approach that is able to answer all of them is yet to be developed. Without realizing that these five issues are interrelated, we cannot hope to understand how groups influence individuals and how they shape our communities. This thesis proposes an integrative theory of informal group formation in communities. Based on the tradition of Social Network Analysis, it develops a framework in which interpersonal relations and reputations are formed through a process called informal status production. Groups emerge from this micro-process by the alignment of positive relations and agreement in peer-perceptions between actors. The main micro-mechanisms predicted by the theory are tested on a unique longitudinal network dataset from school classrooms. To this end, a new empirical procedure was developed, by which a few aggregated networks can be constructed from tens of relational items. This allows the analysis of rich network data with several relational dimensions. The empirical studies of multiplex network dynamics confirm that there are strong interdependencies between friendships and perceptions. Students who agree about their peers tend to become friends, but more so when they hold a minority opinion in the class. This contributes to group formation. Friends also influence each other's perceptions, but we manage to show that the presence of groups around them interferes with this process by moderating the influence of individual peers.
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Malone, Chad Allen. "A Socio-Historical Analysis of U.S. State Terrorism from 1948 to 2008." University of Toledo / OhioLINK, 2008. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1216592463.
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Cristiani, Daniel L. "The form of the system : the politics of Luhmann's systems theory /." Diss., Connect to a 24 p. preview or request complete full text in PDF format. Access restricted to UC IP addresses, 2003. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/ucsd/fullcit?p3089473.
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Zhao, Jijun. "Analysis of complex social systems by agent-based simulation." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/280763.
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This dissertation studied complex social systems that have large number of individuals and complicated functional relations among individuals. Prisoner's Dilemma (PD) including Social Dilemmas (SDs) is a type of problem arising from collective actions in social systems. Previous PD studies have limitations and are not suitable for the study of collective actions in complex social systems. The large number of individuals and the complexity of the models made the development of theoretical, analytical studies impossible. An agent-based computer simulation is used in this dissertation for investigating N-person Prisoner's Dilemma (NPD), and its new extensions. My research can be divided into three chapters (three appendixes in this dissertation). In the first problem, the classical NPD model is considered, a much faster algorithm was developed, and the long term behavior of Pavlovian agents is examined. In this study, the main feature of the classical PD model was kept by restricting the state space into two possibilities: cooperation and defection. In most social situations the state space is much more complicated. In the second study, NPD was introduced with continuous state space. A continuous variable described the cooperation level of the participating individuals. A stochastic differential equation models state change of individuals. Public media and personal influence were first introduced in the study of NPD. In the third model, we analyzed the dynamic process of fund raising for a public radio station. This model is a combination of the other two models; discrete in the sense that donating or not in a time period is discrete variable; however the amount the individuals can pledge to the station is a continuous variable. In all three models, individual personalities are considered and quantified. Major personality types that might affect the possible cooperation or defection of the agents were captured in the continuous NPD simulation; major motivations that might affect the probability of pledging at a certain time period and the pledged amount were captured in the fund raising case. During the computer simulation, the behavior of each agent and the behavior of the entire society can be monitored.
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Elnaggar, Ashraf. "Variable regression estimation of unknown system delay." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 1990. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/30804.
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This thesis describes a novel approach to model and estimate systems of unknown delay. The a-priori knowledge available about the systems is fully utilized so that the number of parameters to be estimated equals the number of unknowns in the systems. Existing methods represent the single unknown system delay by a large number of unknown parameters in the system model.
The purpose of this thesis is to develop new methods of modelling the systems so that the unknowns are directly estimated. The Variable Regression Estimation technique is developed to provide direct delay estimation. The delay estimation requires minimum excitation and is robust, bounded, and it converges to the true value for first-order and second-order systems. The delay estimation provides a good model approximation for high-order systems and the model is always stable and matches the frequency response of the system at any given frequency. The new delay estimation method is coupled with the Pole Placement, Dahlin and the Generalized Predictive Controller (GPC) design and adaptive versions of these controllers result. The new adaptive GPC has the same closed-loop performance for different values of system delay. This was not achievable in the original adaptive GPC. The adaptive controllers with direct delay estimation can regulate systems with dominant time delay with minimum parameters in the controller and the system model. The delay does not lose identifiability in closed-loop estimation. Experiments on the delay estimation show excellent agreement with the theoretical analysis of the proposed methods.Applied Science, Faculty of
Electrical and Computer Engineering, Department of
Graduate
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Hjartarson, Thorhallur. "Application of catastrophe theory to voltage stability analysis of power systems." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 1990. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/29623.
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In this thesis catastrophe theory is applied to the voltage stability problem in power systems. A general model for predicting voltage stability from the system conditions is presented and then applied to both a simple 2-bus explanatory power system and to a larger more realistic power system.
The model is based on the swallowtail catastrophe which with its three control variables is able to determine the voltage stability of the system. The model is derived directly from the systems equations. The voltage stability of the system at each specified system bus is determined by comparing the values of the swallowtail catastrophe control variables with those of the unique region of voltage stability. The control variables are calculated from the system operating conditions. If the control variables specify a point inside the stability region, the system is voltage stable; otherwise it is voltage unstable.Applied Science, Faculty of
Electrical and Computer Engineering, Department of
Graduate
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Schmitt, Eugene David. "Control synthesis and stability analysis of a fuzzy Sugeno Model system." Thesis, Georgia Institute of Technology, 1997. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/18878.
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Wang, Shu. "Information Theoretic Analysis of A Biological Signal Transduction System." Case Western Reserve University School of Graduate Studies / OhioLINK, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1526393370364409.
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Mouakket, Samar. "Systems analysis and requirements determination : theory and practice - a longitudinal case study approach." Thesis, University of Sheffield, 1996. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.388712.
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Beals, Michael J. "An application of systems theory in a local congregational setting." Theological Research Exchange Network (TREN), 1990. http://www.tren.com.
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Fountain, David Wilkes. "Implicit systems : orthogonal functions analysis and geometry." Diss., Georgia Institute of Technology, 1991. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/15750.
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Feng, Zhiguang, and 冯志光. "Dissipative control and filtering of singular systems." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2013. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B50899612.
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This thesis is concerned with the dissipative control and filtering problems of singular systems. Four classes of singular systems are considered: delay-free singular systems, singular systems with constant time-delay, uncertain singular systems with time-varying delay and sensor failures, and singular Markovian jump systems with actuator failures.
For delay-free singular systems, the system augmentation approach is employed to study the dissipative control and filtering problems. First, the approach is used to solve the dissipative control problem by static output-feedback for standard state-space systems which are the special cases of singular systems. For a continuous-time standard state-space system, the closed-loop system is represented in an augmented system form. Based on the augmented system, a necessary and sufficient dissipativity condition is proposed, which decouples the Lyapunov matrix and controller matrix. To further separate the Lyapunov matrix and the system matrices, an equivalent condition is obtained by introducing some slack matrices. Then, a necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of a static output-feedback controller is proposed, and an iterative algorithm is given to solve the condition. For discrete-time singular systems, by giving an equivalent representation of the solution set, a necessary and sufficient dissipativity condition is proposed in terms of strict linear matrix inequality (LMI) which can be easily solved by standard commercial software. Then a state-feedback controller design method is given based on the augmentation system approach. The method is extended to the static output-feedback control problem and the reduced-order dissipative filtering problem.
For continuous-time singular time-delay systems, the problem of state-feedback dissipative control is considered. An improved delay-dependent dissipativity condition in terms of LMIs is established by employing the delay-partitioning technique, which guarantees a singular system to be admissible and dissipative. Based on this, a delay-dependent sufficient condition for the existence of a state-feedback controller is proposed to guarantee the admissibility and dissipativity of the closed-loop system. In addition to delay-dependence, the obtained results are also dependent on the level of dissipativity. Moreover, the results obtained unify existing results on H∞ performance analysis and passivity analysis for singular systems.
For discrete-time singular systems with polytopic uncertainties, time-varying delay and sensor failures, the problem of robust reliable dissipative filtering is considered. The filter is designed by the reciprocally convex approach such that the filtering error singular system is admissible and strictly (Q, S, R)-dissipative. For singular systems with time-varying delay and sensor failures, a sufficient condition of reliable dissipative analysis is obtained in terms of LMIs. Then the result is extended to the uncertain case by introducing some variables to decouple the Lyapunov matrices and the filtering error system matrices. Moreover, a desired filter for uncertain singular systems with time-varying delay and sensor failures is obtained by solving a set of LMIs.
For continuous-time singular Markovian jump systems with actuator failures, the problem of reliable dissipative control is addressed. Attention is focused on the state-feedback controller design method such that the closed-loop system is admissible and strictly (Q, S, R)-dissipative. A sufficient condition is obtained in terms of strict LMIs. Moreover, the results obtained unify existing results on H∞control and passive control on singular Markovian jump systems.published_or_final_version
Mechanical Engineering
Doctoral
Doctor of Philosophy
27
Kapila, Vikram. "Robust fixed-structure control of uncertain systems with input-ouput nonlinearities." Diss., Georgia Institute of Technology, 1996. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/12069.
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Svensson, Caroline. "Samhällets system : Långvarigt beroende av försörjningsstöd ur ett systemteoretiskt perspektiv." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Sociologiska institutionen, 2013. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-196879.
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Syftet med denna C-uppsats är att genom Pincus och Minahans resursinriktade systemteori undersöka innebörden av hur samhälleliga system tillgodoser hjälpbehov för klienter som uppbär försörjningsstöd under lång tid. Målet är att skapa en strukturerad bild av vad som är bidragande faktorer till långvarigt beroende av försörjningsstöd samt hur samhälleliga system arbetar med insatser gällande dessa faktorer. Frågeställningarna är följande: Vilka hjälpbehov framträder genom journalerna för undersökningsgruppen? Hur adresseras dessa av samhälleliga system och vilka slutsatser kan man dra av detta? Resultatet visar att hjälpbehoven som tillgodoses är av olika karaktär och att det samhälleliga resurssystemet ibland ersätter formella och informella resurssystem när dessa inte är välfungerande. Slutsatsen visar att samhälleliga system kan motarbeta varandra och att detta då blir till men för den enskilde. Slutsatsen visar också att preventivt arbete för att förhindra att långvarigt beroende av försörjningsstöd uppstår är viktigt.The purpose of this bachelor thesis is to use Pincus and Minahans resource-oriented systems theory to examine how societal systems are meeting the needs of the clients who are longterm dependant on social benefits. The aim is to create a structured image of the factors that lies behind a longterm dependance on social benefits, and also how societal systems are working with interventions concerning these factors. The questions are as follows: Which needs for support can be identified among the studied group? How are these needs addressed by the societal systems, and what conclusions can you draw from this? The result shows that needs that are met by societal systems are of different sorts. It also show that societal systems sometimes replaces private and organizational systems, when thees are malfunctioning. The conclusion shows that societal systems can work against each other and that this can become troublesome for the clients. The conclusion also shows that preventive interventions are important when working with hoe to make longterm dependance on social benefits less occurring.
29
Lüdicke, Marius K. "A Theory of marketing : Outline of a social systems perspective /." Wiesbaden Dt. Univ.-Verl, 2006. http://deposit.ddb.de/cgi-bin/dokserv?id=2773966&prov=M&dokv̲ar=1&doke̲xt=htm.
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Fong, Nga Hin Benjamin. "Modeling, Analysis,and Design of Responsive Manufacturing Systems Using Classical Control Theory." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/27269.
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The manufacturing systems operating within todayâ s global enterprises are invariably dynamic and complicated. Lean manufacturing works well where demand is relatively stable and predictable where product diversity is low. However, we need a much higher agility where customer demand is volatile with high product variety. Frequent changes of product designs need quicker response times in ramp-up to volume. To stay competitive in this 21st century global industrialization, companies must posses a new operation design strategy for responsive manufacturing systems that react to unpredictable market changes as well as to launch new products in a cost-effective and efficient way.
The objective of this research is to develop an alternative method to model, analyze, and design responsive manufacturing systems using classical control theory. This new approach permits industrial engineers to study and better predict the transient behavior of responsive manufacturing systems in terms of production lead time, WIP overshoot, system responsiveness, and lean finished inventory. We provide a one-to-one correspondence to translate manufacturing terminologies from the System Dynamics (SD) models into the block diagram representation and transfer functions. We can analytically determine the transient characteristics of responsive manufacturing systems. This analytical formulation is not offered in discrete event simulation or system dynamics approach. We further introduce the Root Locus design technique that investigates the sensitivity of the closed-loop poles location as they relate to the manufacturing world on a complex s-plane. This subsequent complex plane analysis offers new management strategies to better predict and control the dynamic responses of responsive manufacturing systems in terms of inventory build-up (i.e., leanness) and lead time. We define classical control theory terms and interpret their meanings according to the closed-loop poles locations to assist production management in utilizing the Root Locus design tool. Again, by applying this completely graphic view approach, we give a new design approach that determine the responsive manufacturing parametric set of values without iterative trial-and-error simulation replications as found in discrete event simulation or system dynamics approach.Ph. D.
31
Kau, Chung-Ta. "Robust stability margin and LQR of second-order systems." Thesis, Georgia Institute of Technology, 1991. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/12044.
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Little, John H. "Reframing public administration : a systems-methodological analysis of governance and the role of public administration /." Diss., This resource online, 1994. http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-10022007-145413/.
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Cheema, Preetinder Singh. "Dynamic analysis of an inventory and production control system with an adaptive leadtime estimator." Thesis, University of London, 1994. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.300102.
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Parsi-Feraidoonian, Raiomand. "Application of catastrophe theory to transient stability analysis of multimachine power systems." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 1990. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/29723.
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Transient stability analysis is an important part of power planning and operation. For large power systems, such analysis is very time consuming and expensive. Therefore, an online
transient stability assessment will be required as these large power systems are operated close to their maximum limits. In this thesis swallowtail catastrophe is used to determine the transient stability regions. The bifurcation set represents the transient stability region in terms of power system transient parameters bounded by the transient stability limits. The system modelling is generalized in such, that the analysis could handle either one or any number of critical machines. This generalized model is then tested on a three-machine as well as a seven-machine system. The results of the stability analysis done with the generalized method is compared with the time solution and the results were satisfactory. The transient stability regions determined are valid for any changes in loading conditions and fault location. This method is a good candidate for on-line assessment of transient stability of power systems.Applied Science, Faculty of
Electrical and Computer Engineering, Department of
Graduate
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Lee, Taih-Shyun. "Performance analysis and control design for Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy systems : matched and mismatched case." Diss., Georgia Institute of Technology, 1997. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/12102.
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Jaffe, Robert Stephen. "Fractional Representation Design of Dynamic Output Controllers for Multiple Time Scale Systems." PDXScholar, 1988. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/1360.
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This dissertation addresses the design of controllers for multi variable finite-dimensional, linear, autonomous dynamical systems with distinct sets of slow and fast dynamics, which thus display multiple time scale behavior. It seeks, specifically, to compose overall controllers from lower-order dynamic output compensators, which are designed separately for slow and fast approximating models of the given plant. Reduction of the dynamic order of the design problem and the avoidance of numerically ill-conditioned interaction between modes of disparate orders of magnitude are among the patent advantages which pertain to such a design. As is well known, the explicit singularly perturbed systems, as a class, possess the multiple time scale property, while the broader class of implicit singularly perturbed systems and the multiple time scale systems are partially overlapping system classes. A composite state feedback controller scheme for the explicit singularly perturbed system has long been known. In connection with dynamic output controllers, however, only the case of the explicit singularly perturbed system with, restrictively, open-loop-stable fast dynamics has so far received attention in the literature. The dissertation, in providing a composite dynamic controller design suitable as well to the implicit singularly perturbed multiple time scale system, which furthermore is permitted to exhibit fast (or "parasitic") as well as slow (or "normal") open-loop instabilities, thus presents a more comprehensive dynamic controller strategy for this system than so far reported in the literature. Working with multivariable transfer functions, the dissertation applies certain fractional representation techniques of modem Algebraic System Theory to the frequency domain study of the multiple time scale system. Following the work of D. W. Luse and H. K. Khalil, we replace the transfer matrix of the multiple time scale system with two or more lower-order transfer functions, each of which has validity, in its own respective frequency range, as an approximation to the first. Following the work. of M. Vidyasagar, we write the rational transfer function of each of these approximating lower-order subsystems as a "fraction" over the Ring of proper and stable rational matrices. Parametrizations, in terms of "free" matrices belonging to this Ring, of the sets of stabilizing controllers for the lower-order subsystems :md the corresponding achievable stable closed-loop behaviors then enable the relevant design syntheses to be achieved. In this development we exploit, specifically, a Theorem proved by Luse and Khalil concerning the relation of the closed-loop poles in a feedback configuration of multiple time scale systems to the poles in corresponding lower-order closed-loop systems. The dissertation's novel contribution thus resides in (i) interpreting the Theorem of Luse and Khalil as the outline for a possible separate and-composite dynamic output controller strategy, and in (ii) adapting algebraic techniques derivative from Vidyasagar for actually realizing the putative strategy as a set of concretely implementable design procedures. Three specific design procedures are developed and formalized in the dissertation: the first for achieving mere stabilization of the multiple time scale system, the second for the placement of slow and fast poles within specified subregions of the Complex Plane, and the third for achieving entirely arbitrary pole placement. Since these procedures derive, methodologically, from Vidyasagar's fractional representations, they are intrinsically multivariable in character. Since the procedures are validated by the Theorem of Luse and Khalil, they are applicable, in principle, to the very broadest class of linear autonomous multiple time scale systems. The dissertation presents its three design procedures in high-Ievel-algorized form. For application to the explicit singularly perturbed system, the three procedures entail no further matrix operations than addition, multiplication, inversion and the determination of linear constant controller and observer gains, the most basic of operations in any available Control software. In connection with the implicitly singularly perturbed multiple time scale system, their concrete application requires some further computational development pertaining to the attainment of coprime factorizations of general rational matrices, a topic of independent active interest in the current literature on Control. Elsewhere in the literature, singularly perturbed discrete time, distributed, multidimensional, time-varying and nonlinear systems have been studied. Such systems have been studied, furthermore, in several contexts involving optimal and stochastic control, but nearly always from the time domain point of view. The dissertation tackles only the problems of robust stabilization and pole placement in the finite-dimensional, linear, autonomous case. Future work will attempt to extend its results on stabilization and pole-placement, appropriately, to some of the other general multiple time scale system classes. Further frequency domain investigations, related to the dissertation, may as well explore other problems pertaining to the multiple time scale systems which so far have received treatment only in the available time domain literature.
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Bauer, Andreas. "The theory and practice of runtime reflection a model-based framework for dynamic analysis of distributed reactive systems." Saarbrücken VDM Verlag Dr. Müller, 2007. http://d-nb.info/989452999/04.
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Arney, Dale Curtis. "Rule-based graph theory to enable exploration of the space system architecture design space." Diss., Georgia Institute of Technology, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/44840.
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NASA's current plans for human spaceflight include an evolutionary series of missions based on a steady increase in capability to explore cis-lunar space, the Moon, near-Earth asteroids, and eventually Mars. Although the system architecture definition has the greatest impact on the eventual performance and cost of an exploration program, selecting an optimal architecture is a difficult task due to the lack of methods to adequately explore the architecture design space and the resource-intensive nature of architecture analysis. This research presents a modeling framework to mathematically represent and analyze the space system architecture design space using graph theory. The framework enables rapid exploration of the design space without the need to limit trade options or the need for user interaction during the exploration process. The architecture design space for three missions in a notional evolutionary exploration program, which includes staging locations, vehicle implementation, and system functionality, for each mission destination is explored. Using relative net present value of various system architecture options, the design space exploration reveals that the launch vehicle selection is the primary driver in reducing cost, and other options, such as propellant type, staging location, and aggregation strategy, provide less impact.
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Dagli, Duygu. "Streamlining A Hospital Information System." Thesis, METU, 2011. http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12613302/index.pdf.
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The success of a Hospital Information System (HIS) is related to the software, its users, and the fit between the system and the hospital&rsquos operations. The objective of this thesis is to analyze the Hospital Information System used by a private hospital, and streamline the system to better fit the requirements of the hospital. The modules of the HIS, the processes, the requirements of external parties, the attitudes of users as well as the control mechanisms and the forms are analyzed through observations, interviews and document inspections. The results of the study indicate that only a small proportion of problems are noticed by managers, and inaccuracies occur when users provide inputs to the system. Moreover, the HIS yields additional clerical work. Lack of standardization and partial automation are among the main reasons for inefficiencies. Improvements in the software design are proposed as a means for streamlining the existing system.
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Koch, Patrick N. "Hierarchical modeling and robust synthesis for the preliminary design of large scale complex systems." Diss., Georgia Institute of Technology, 1997. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/16651.
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Behrman, Robert. "Structural Measurement Of Military Organization Capability." Research Showcase @ CMU, 2014. http://repository.cmu.edu/dissertations/373.
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This research presents a structural model of the effect of the organization of military units upon their capability. This research is oriented towards a more complete understanding of military capability and policy decisions about the structure and development of military forces. We identify the types of national and military policy decisions that claims of military capability inform, and find that there are five distinct types of capability claims relevant to military policy. We show how these types of capability claims are logically related to each other, but have different premises, predicates, and standards of proof. We find that one of these types of claims, General Organization Capability Claims, ties together the various military policy decisions. The remainder of this research shows how these capability claims can be formally structured based on military doctrine and structurally evaluated using a network-science based model. The interaction between the structural elements of a military organization (personnel, materiel, and information) and the things it is supposed to do (military tasks) can be represented and analyzed with network science methods, and represents a type of general organization capability claim. We present a method for representing policy decisions about unit structure and tactical doctrine. We then develop two versions of a structural model of capability–one that links the individual elements of an organization to the tasks it performs; another that considers the capacity of a set of organizations to meet a set of requirements. We show that network statistics of organizations represented off of authoritative, rather than observational, data are still consistent with network science findings but require interpretation. We also show how alternate methods of aggregating organizations can expand the utility of the capability measurement. This research presents five new contributions to the fields of military policy analysis and network science–(1) a taxonomy of military capability claims, (2) a meta-network model of doctrinal organization and task data, (3) a structural model of organization capability, (4) a structural model of organization capacity, and (5) a network-based method integer programming method.
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Sinclair, Kate. "A Comparative Analysis of Socio-Legal and Psycho-Social Theories and the Construction of a Model to Explain How Law Operates and Evolves in the Dependency Court." University of Sydney. Law, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/562.
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This thesis examines data and theory about how the system of law (SL) operates and evolves: it contrasts data from social workers and attorneys working in the juvenile dependency court with theories about how individuals and social systems evolve. The analysis is based on research conducted in San Diego and revolves around a theory about human development, or the "individual as a system" (HD), and a theory about social systems, such as the autopoietic theory of law and its self-reproducing system (LA). It is suggested that together, the theories of HD+LA help to examine how professionals and law operate and evolve in the legal system. Overall, the thesis rejects the autopoietic systems theory that law reproduces itself, by itself. Instead, analysis in this study supports the finding that law is defined and operates through a dialectic of the individual and the social (or the organic and the mechanistic respectively) such that each gives rise to the other. On the basis of this system connection, aspects from systems theory about legal autopoiesis are integrated into concepts from constructive-developmental theory (HDLA), thus providing a new framework through which to examine how law and its system functions. The new framework is built around an equation that emerged some time after data analysis and theoretical development: SL=HDLA+DSA . The equation states that: The evolution of the system of law involves processes of human development and to some but a much lesser degree, the autopoietic nature of law. The extent of this evolution is best determined by analyzing data from a court setting. The dialectical relationship between individual and social influences in the evolution of law is facilitated by the accumulation of social action � such as activity from media and advocacy groups � and the individual meaning that professionals make about this action, which in turn has an influence on the formal and informal operations that they perform when operating law. The nature of these interacting dynamics will be shown through two interconnected tools of analysis: one is a typology of individual, professional and system self-concepts; the typology helps to show how a cycle of system change (human development giving rise to legal change and vice versa) occurs in the court; the other is the operative structure (or culture) of systems for law and social work in child abuse cases � which unite in court operations. These two interconnected tools help to show how the court operates and how social action (SA) for change contributes to professional and system change in the evolution of law.
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Murphy, Glen Desson. "A shock to the system : the structural implications of enterprise system technology." Queensland University of Technology, 2006. http://eprints.qut.edu.au/16403/.
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The last two decades have seen an increasing sophistication in the type of information systems employed by organizations. In particular we have seen the emergence of enterprise systems technology - advanced information technology specifically designed to integrate the vast majority of an organization's processes and data flows. As the characteristics of ES technology have encroached beyond individual user domains and have become integrated throughout organizations, user acceptance issues have also broadened beyond the individual unit of analysis. At the same time numerous examples can be found both in the trade press and academic literature of organizations wishing to use enterprise systems as a primary driver of widespread organizational change and restructuring. A fundamental premise of this study is that while it may be intuitively appealing to consider technology as a primary catalyst for organizational change, it neglects to acknowledge the presence of what is referred to as the "eduality of structure"e (Giddens, 1993). Duality of structure proponents contend that while IT system protocols may to a certain extent determine individual action, human agency can also determine the extent to which the technology is incorporated into everyday operations. The failure of past research to acknowledge the role of individual action and the influence of social context in determining IT usage is considered to be a significant oversight (DeSanctis & Poole, 1994). Underpinned by the theory of structuration and its notion of duality, a theory of user acceptance is put forward capable of clarifying the process by which users evaluate and react to enterprise systems technology. The thesis reports on an empirical investigation into the relationship between three representations of structure within an organization: the characteristics of ES technology; job design; and social networks. The capacity of ES technology to alter the structural elements of both job design and social networks, and hence form user's attitudes and behavior towards the system, is the fundamental theoretical premise of the thesis. As such this represents a clear step forward in understanding the implications of ES technology for both users and organizational structure. Using a longitudinal embedded single case design, this study examines the user acceptance and structural implications of introducing an ES into a large public sector educational institution. A social network and job design perspective was adopted to offer fresh insight into the dynamics of employee reaction to the introduction of ES technology. Five hypotheses support the job design component of the thesis. It was argued that given the inherent design elements of ES technology, along with the specific intent of the system's introduction, that users would both anticipate and perceive a decrease in job characteristics following an ES implementation. Further, that the positive relationship between job change and user acceptance would be moderated by the amount of system usage reported by users. Users with a greater exposure to the system were hypothesized to have a far stronger relationship between job change and acceptance than low users. The ramifications of perceived or actual changes to embedded resource exchange networks and subsequent employee reactions to those changes were also considered. Essentially social networks were argued to play a dual role in the user acceptance process, one being a conduit for the facilitation and transfer of user attitudes towards new systems, the other acting as a catalyst for attitude formation towards new systems. Overall the findings only partially supported four of the eight hypotheses put forward. While users were seen to anticipate an "eacross the board"e decrease in job characteristics at Time 1 following the introduction of an ES, perceived changes in job characteristics at Time 2 were dependant on user hierarchy and the extent of system usage. Those high in formal authority reported an increase in job enrichment following the system's introduction, while those low in formal authority reported a decrease in overall job enrichment. Usage was also seen to moderate the relationship between job change and user acceptance. At Time 1 low users reported a positive relationship between anticipated changes in meaningfulness and user acceptance. Conversely at Time 1 high users reported a negative relationship between anticipated skill variety levels at Time 2 and user acceptance. Only one job characteristic reported a relationship between usage and user acceptance. Low users reported a positive relationship between changes in task identity and user acceptance. A post-hoc profile of the usage categories indicated that high users were more likely to be a lower hierarchical position than low users. The positive relationship reported by low users at Time 1 and Time 2 was explained by both the nature of the system, as well as the type and quantity of information received by low users. As senior members of the organization they were considered more likely to receive information that highlighted its attributes in the context of their job roles. The inherent design of ES technology, along with the specific intent it was being introduced, facilitated largely management orientated objectives. Therefore it is unsurprising that low users anticipating an increase in experienced meaningfulness following the introduction of a system that enhanced their job role reported corresponding acceptance levels. In contrast, the negative relationship between anticipated levels of skill variety at Time 2 and perceived ease of use was explained by the affinity that high users were likely to have with the old system. To high users with a high degree of proficiency associated with a redundant skill set, increased skill variety only represented a steeper learning curve and an increased pressure to adapt to the new system. The network component of the study also produced mixed results. Of the two networks that were measured over time, only one supported the hypothesized increase in both advice and resource exchange networks over time. Post-hoc analyses indicated that two of the four groups exhibited network change consistent with the hypothesized relationship. Anecdotal reports suggested that contextual elements such as geographical location and managerial policy at a localized level determined the nature of the change for the remaining two groups. The results failed to support the relationship between network change and user acceptance. However, a weak but significant negative relationship between the measure of network efficiency and user acceptance was found. In simple terms users developing an increasingly redundant set of contacts reported higher levels of user acceptance. In sum, the thesis represents a contribution to enterprise systems, user acceptance and social network literatures. In the first instance the research validates the call by Orlikowski & Iacono (2001) to readily acknowledge the specific nature of the technology under investigation. Despite the growth and saturation of enterprise system types, comparatively little research has been undertaken to examine the user and organizational issues surrounding their implementation. This research has demonstrated the capacity for the inherent design elements of ES technology to have differential effects in terms of job design for different user classifications. This and other findings represent a step forward in understanding the structural and user acceptance implications of this technology, while sign-pointing a number of promising future research avenues. The job design results, and to a lesser extent the network efficiency results, demonstrate the effect of social context on user acceptance. As such they provide further insight regarding the potential determinants of user acceptance beyond the individual unit of analysis. The findings also indicate an increasing need for user acceptance research to stretch beyond the transitory, short term measures of user acceptance such as perceived ease of use, usefulness, training and computer efficacy. Finally the thesis contributes to a small, but growing literature examining the role of social networks in the process of organizational change. In particular this thesis has considered in detail, the attitudinal and behavioral consequences of artificially altering established patterns of interaction. As such the study highlights the need to better understand the role of networks not only in the case of facilitating change, but the effect of network change in terms of change intervention success.
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Steinfeldt, Bradley Alexander. "The multidisciplinary design problem as a dynamical system." Diss., Georgia Institute of Technology, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/49084.
Full textAbstract:
A general multidisciplinary design problem features coupling and feedback between contributing analyses. This feedback may lead to convergence issues requiring significant iteration in order to obtain a feasible design. This work casts the multidisciplinary design problem as a dynamical system in order to leverage the benefits of dynamical systems theory in a new domain. Three areas from dynamical system theory are chosen for investigation: stability analysis, optimal control, and estimation theory. Stability analysis is used to investigate the existence of a solution to the design problem and how that solution can be found. Optimal control techniques allow consideration of contributing analysis output and design variables constraints at the same level of the optimization hierarchy. Finally, estimation methods are employed to rapidly evaluate the robustness of the multidisciplinary design. These three dynamical system techniques are then combined in a methodology for the rapid robust design of linear multidisciplinary systems. While inherently linear, the developed robust design methodology is shown to be extensible to nonlinear systems. The applicability and performance of the developed technique is demonstrated through linear and nonlinear test problems including the design of a hypersonic aerodynamic surface for a system in which an increase in range or improvement in landed accuracy is sought. In addition, it is shown that the developed robust design methodology scales well compared to other methods.
45
Ntiyakunze, Stanslaus Karoli. "Conflicts in Building Projets in Tanzania : Analysis of Causes and Management Approaches." Doctoral thesis, KTH, Bygg- och fastighetsekonomi, 2011. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-30340.
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The prime objective of a client in a building project is to attain a successful project, a project that has been properly planned, designed and constructed in accordance with plans and specifications, and completed within time and cost originally anticipated. However the success of a building project depends on a number of variables one of them is the way the building team approach conflicts facing the project. This study examines the causes and management approaches of conflicts in building projects in Tanzania. The main objective of the study is to identify issues/areas on which conflicts occur, factors causing them and how conflicts are managed in building projects in Tanzania. As a means to achieve the above objective, the study was structured into two main parts; the first part aimed at mapping up the nature of conflicts in building projects in Tanzania by establishing critical symptoms of conflicts, factors causing them and the approaches used in resolving the conflicts. This was done through literature review, interviews and questionnaire survey. The second part aimed at in-depth study of conflicts from their root cause, how they develop/progress and how they are managed in a real building project setting. Four case studies of building projects were studied for this part. The study found that factors causing conflicts are in several forms. There are those related to the nature of contracts, where the contracts are unclear and ambiguous they give room for contracting parties to develop opportunistic behaviour when post adjustments are needed. There are those factors which are related to role functions when the parties fail to perform as expected. As such the study confirmed that contractual incompleteness and consequent post contract adjustments and opportunistic behaviour of some project participants are root causes of conflicts in building projects in Tanzania. However, the study established that there are sufficient mechanisms to deal with conflicts in the standard forms of building contracts used and when the provisions are against the interests of the parties, the parties resort to amicable resolution approaches. Notwithstanding the availability of mechanisms in the standard forms of contracts to deal with conflicts, the study proposes the framework as a strategy that could reduce effectively the occurrences of conflicts in building projects.QC 20110223
46
Connolly, Amy J. "The Use and Effectiveness of Online Social Media in Volunteer Organizations." Scholar Commons, 2014. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/5203.
Full textAbstract:
Volunteer organizations face two challenges not found in non-volunteer organizations: recruiting and retaining volunteers. While social media use is increasing amongst individuals, its use and effectiveness for volunteer recruitment and retention by volunteer organizations is unknown. The dissertation reports the results of three studies to investigate this important question. Using a mixed-methods approach, it addressed the dual nature of social media and its effectiveness by including volunteer organizations and social media users.
This dissertation found that although volunteer organizations are not using social media effectively, they could virtualize requirements of the recruitment process by focusing on relatable events instead of sterile marketing. This dissertation contributes to information systems literature by extending the post-acceptance model of IS continuance to show that social media mediates volunteer continuance. It further contributes by revealing a potential new area of research, i.e., the use and effectiveness of online social media for volunteer organizations.
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Xiong, Dapeng. "Stability analysis and controller synthesis of linear parameter varying systems /." Digital version accessible at:, 1998. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/utexas/main.
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Schröder, Jochen. "Modelling, state observation and diagnosis of quantised systems /." Berlin [u.a.] : Springer, 2003. http://www.loc.gov/catdir/enhancements/fy0813/2002030222-d.html.
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Dong, Bin. "Modal Analysis of General Cyclically Symmetric Systems with Applications to Multi-Stage Structures." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/102605.
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This work investigates the modal properties of general cyclically symmetric systems and the multi-stage systems with cyclically symmetric stages. The work generalizes the modal properties of engineering applications, such as planetary gears, centrifugal pendulum vibration absorber (CPVA) systems, multi-stage planetary gears, etc., and provides methods to improve the computational efficiency to numerically solve the system modes when cyclically symmetric structures exist.
Modal properties of cyclically symmetric systems with vibrating central components as three-dimensional rigid bodies are studied without any assumptions on the system matrix symmetries: asymmetric inertia matrix, damping, gyroscopic, and circulatory terms can be present. In the equation of motion of such a cyclically symmetric system, the matrix operators are proved to have properties related to the cyclic symmetry. These symmetry-related properties are used to prove the modal properties of general cyclically symmetric systems. Only three types of modes can exist: substructure modes, translational-tilting modes, and rotational-axial modes. Each mode type is characterized by specific central component modal deflections and substructure phase relations. Instead of solving the full eigenvalue problem,all vibration modes and natural frequencies can be obtained by solving smaller eigenvalue problems associated with each mode type. This computational advantage is dramatic for systems with many substructures or many degrees of freedom per substructure.
Group theory is applied to further generalize the modal properties of cyclically symmetric systems when both rigid-body and compliant central components exist, such as planetary gears with an elastic continuum ring gear. The group theory for symmetry groups is introduced, and the group-theory-based modal analysis does not rely on any knowledge of the properties of system matrices in system equations of motion. The three types of modes (substructure modes, translational-tilting modes, and rotational-axial modes) are characterized by specific rigid-body central component modal defections, substructure phase relations, and nodal diameter components of compliant central components. The general formulation of reduced eigenvalue problems for each mode type is obtained through group-theory-based method, and it applies to discrete, continuous, or hybrid discrete-continuous cyclically symmetric systems. The group-theory-based modal analysis also applies to systems with other symmetry types.
The group-theory-based modal analysis is generalized to analyze the multi-stage systems that are composed of symmetric stages coupled through the motions of rigid-body central components. The proposed group-theory-based modal analysis applies to multi-stage systems with cyclically symmetric stages, such as multi-stage planetary gears and CPVA systems with multiple groups of absorbers. The method also applies to multi-stage systems with component stages that have different types of symmetry. For a multi-stage system with symmetric stages, a unitary transformation matrix can be built through an algorithmic and computationally inexpensive procedure. The obtained unitary transformation matrix provides the foundation to analyze the modal properties based on the principles of group-theory-based modal analysis. For general multi-stage systems with symmetric component stages, the vibration modes are classified into two general types, single-stage substructure modes and overall modes, according to the non-zero modal deflections in each component stage. Reduced eigenvalue problems for each mode type are formulated to reduce the computational cost for eigensolutions.
Finite element models of multi-stage bladed disk assemblies consist of multiple cyclically symmetric bladed disks that are coupled through the boundary nodes at the inter-stage interface. To improve the computational efficiency of calculating the full system modes, a numerical method is proposed by combination of the multi-stage cyclic symmetry reduction method and the subspace iteration method. Compared to the multi-stage cyclic symmetry reduction method, the proposed method improves the accuracy of obtained eigensolutions through an iterative process that is derived from the subspace iteration method. Based on the cyclic symmetry in each component stage of bladed disk, the proposed iterative method that can be performed using single stage sector models only, instead of using matrix operators for the full multi-stage bladed disks. Parallel computations can be performed in the proposed iterative method, and the computational speed for eigensolutions can be increased significantly.Doctor of Philosophy
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Portenstein, Pamela Mae. "BREAKING BREAD, SHAPING UNDERSTANDING: THE ECO-FOOD COMMUNITY AS COGNITIVE SYSTEM." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2015. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd/184.
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In this thesis I employ insights from Conversation Analysis and Embodied Cognition Theory to examine the discursive practices of a group of interactants who operate in what I describe as a group cognitive system. While studies on embodied cognition have been done on both individuals and groups involved in various concrete physical tasks and situated cognition studies have been done on many types of socially situated conversations, my aim is to combine these two theoretical frameworks to observe people’s embodied interactions in informal everyday conversation as they engage in ongoing learning processes. My research question revolves around understanding how the group’s shared cognition unfolds and how new paradigms of thought and purpose are generated in the process of their interactional practices. I employ Conversation Analysis methodology in the collection and analysis of data with attention on how learners interact with each other and their environment via verbal communication. In addition, I focus on non-verbal embodied actions as they function to form a cognitive system where new realities are mentally simulated and brought to materiality via information feedback loops.