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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

The Network Centric Environment Viewed Through The Lens Of Activity Theory, Irena Ali, Leoni Warne, Helen M. Hasan Aug 2012

The Network Centric Environment Viewed Through The Lens Of Activity Theory, Irena Ali, Leoni Warne, Helen M. Hasan

Helen Hasan

A network centric (NC) environment has the potential to transform the ways in which people gather, share, and process information with connectivity achieved thorough technological and social networks. This is of relevance to the military environment which ischaracterised by constant change and uncertainty, and exposed to the vagaries of the political and economic climate. This chapter will analyse human activities in the military network centric contextthrough the lens of the Cultural-Historical Activity Theory. Based on current research findings it is proposed that the activity of sense-making is central to common awareness and decision making, through information sharing, in technology enabled …


Was The Copenhagen Summit Doomed From The Start? Some Insights From Green Is Research, Helen M. Hasan, C Dwyer Aug 2012

Was The Copenhagen Summit Doomed From The Start? Some Insights From Green Is Research, Helen M. Hasan, C Dwyer

Helen Hasan

At the 2009 Copenhagen Summit on Climate Change, COP15, so many contradictory demands were apparent that it is doubtful whether it produced many useful outcomes. In this paper we question whether it, and summits like it, may be inherently doomed to fall short of expectations. With its experience of the intrinsic contradictions within socio-technical systems, the Information System’s profession may provide some insights into complex issues such as climate change. IS research has often demonstrated that imposed top-down solutions rarely provide the most promising way to approach highly complex problems. On the other hand, bottom-up emergent processes, though less politically …


Articulating Knowledge Work: The Contributions Of Activity Theory And Task-Based Knowledge Management, Henry Linger, Frada Burstein, Helen M. Hasan Aug 2012

Articulating Knowledge Work: The Contributions Of Activity Theory And Task-Based Knowledge Management, Henry Linger, Frada Burstein, Helen M. Hasan

Helen Hasan

This chapter addresses issues of knowledge work in organisations with a concern that mainstream knowledge management (KM) has fallen short of expectations. The real nature of knowledge work remains hidden, and thus inaccessible, to those who are trying to improve organisational outcomes through KM practices. The authors have conducted independent research within a new discourse on knowledge work in the context of modem complex organisations, the results of which are converging to a common understanding of this critical phenomenon. Their two theoretical frameworks, one task-based and one activity-based, are described here as eminently suited to this research. Two sets of …


The Effect Of Corporate Governance, Corporate Financing Decision And Ownership Structure On Firm Performance: A Panel Data Approach From Kuwait Stock Exchange, Helen M. Hasan, Mohammad Al Mutairi Aug 2012

The Effect Of Corporate Governance, Corporate Financing Decision And Ownership Structure On Firm Performance: A Panel Data Approach From Kuwait Stock Exchange, Helen M. Hasan, Mohammad Al Mutairi

Helen Hasan

The aim of this paper is to examine the effect of corporate governance, corporate financing decision, and ownership structure on firm performance. The study uses panel based regression approach; the analysis is based on a sample of 80 listed Kuwait Stock Exchange Market firms, over a period of 9 years, from 2000 to 2008. Findings suggest that there is no association between ownership structure (identity, types or mix) and firm performance, using both measures of firm performance, ROA and Tobin’s Q. This study also finds that government ownership is insignificantly positively related to ROA using pool data; the result for …


The Wiki: An Environment To Revolutionise Employees' Interaction With Corporate Knowledge, Helen M. Hasan, Charmaine C. Pfaff Aug 2012

The Wiki: An Environment To Revolutionise Employees' Interaction With Corporate Knowledge, Helen M. Hasan, Charmaine C. Pfaff

Helen Hasan

Some corporations have adopted a Wiki on their Intranets for employees to collectively store, edit and access workrelated material such as reports, best-practice features, and documents. As such collaborative software moves from the social to the corporate arena, it is bound to challenge management authority, engaging the knowledge worker in a more participatory knowledge capability and environment. This paper explores the implication that this revolution has for the interaction of corporate users with technology that will lead to a profound change in organisational culture.


A Grounded Study Of Erp Adoption And Vendor Selection In Thailand, Santipat Aruthari, Helen M. Hasan Aug 2012

A Grounded Study Of Erp Adoption And Vendor Selection In Thailand, Santipat Aruthari, Helen M. Hasan

Helen Hasan

This paper contributes to the literature of the adoption of ERP systems and other existing and new IT-based innovation in developing countries. There is an imperative for a framework to explain the decision-making processes in ERP system adoption and vendor selection in general but particularly in developing Asian countries where knowledge on ERP systems is limited. The authors conducted interviews with IT managers and end-users to identify factors affecting ERP system adoption and ERP system vendor selection by Thai-owned andmultinational companies (MNCs) in Thailand. The findings from the study have led to the development of a research model of ERP …


Q-Methodology For The Active Process Of Knowledge Management, Joseph A. Meloche, Helen M. Hasan, Michelle Mok Aug 2012

Q-Methodology For The Active Process Of Knowledge Management, Joseph A. Meloche, Helen M. Hasan, Michelle Mok

Helen Hasan

Knowledge Managament for the provision of Health Information Services is a developing field and one that is usefully informed by applied research. The current study is conducted with Intensive Care Unit (ICU) professionals to capture and distil their views in regard to a developing a Web-Based Information Service. This service is provided by a central coordination and monitoring unit for intensive care units across NSW, Australia. The study is part of a larger research initiative that is being done to advance the provision of health information in ICU's across the state. Given the complex and dynamic context of ICUs, there …


Blending Complexity And Activity Frameworks For A Broader And Deeper Understanding Of Is, Helen M. Hasan, A Kazluaskas, Kathryn P. Crawford Aug 2012

Blending Complexity And Activity Frameworks For A Broader And Deeper Understanding Of Is, Helen M. Hasan, A Kazluaskas, Kathryn P. Crawford

Helen Hasan

A new age of significance and opportunity for Information Systems (IS) is upon us driven by current developments in the use of digital artifacts. In this paper we endeavor to make sense of contemporary IS, as well as possible future directions of IS, by bringing together the notions of complexity and activity within two theoretical frameworks, namely the Cynefin framework and contemporary uses of Activity Theory. We describe activity as a holistic unit of analysis within the Complicated and Complex Domains of the Cynefin framework. This will enable us to make sense of tool-mediated IS activities in those Domains. Our …


A Cultural-Historical Activity Theory Approach To Users, Usability And Usefulness, Helen M. Hasan Aug 2012

A Cultural-Historical Activity Theory Approach To Users, Usability And Usefulness, Helen M. Hasan

Helen Hasan

This paper takes an historical overview of the field of Human-Computer Interaction. Itdescribes how the cognitive psychology emphasis on user involvement in systemsdevelopment of the 1980s reached its limit by the early 1990s. At this point the focus shifted onto support for the tasks of users using computer-based systems in real contexts, a focus that ideally suits the mobile, ubiquitous and social technologies of the new millennium. The Cultural-Historical Activity Theory provides an appropriate framework for understanding this phenomenon and is adopted in this paper to present the work, over a seven year period, of a usability laboratory grounded in …


Usability Testing Of Public Health Web-Based Information Systems, Sumayya Banna, Kholoud Alkayid, Helen M. Hasan, Joseph A. Meloche Aug 2012

Usability Testing Of Public Health Web-Based Information Systems, Sumayya Banna, Kholoud Alkayid, Helen M. Hasan, Joseph A. Meloche

Helen Hasan

While the Internet provides many opportunities for increased levels of care and access to information services in the area of public health, many web designers are not yet taking full advantage of its potential. This study looks at Intensive Care and Palliative Care, as important instances where health informatics could improve public web-based services, in meeting the particular information needs of family members of critically and chronically ill patients. This study is significant in adopting an approach to the usability testing of websites based on concepts from Activity Theory. This takes a realistic and practical approach, which identifies the purpose …


The Impact Of Corporate Financing Decision On Corporate Performance In The Absence Of Taxes: Panel Data From Kuwait Stock Market, Helen M. Hasan, Mohammad Al Mutairi, Elizabeth A. Risik Aug 2012

The Impact Of Corporate Financing Decision On Corporate Performance In The Absence Of Taxes: Panel Data From Kuwait Stock Market, Helen M. Hasan, Mohammad Al Mutairi, Elizabeth A. Risik

Helen Hasan

This study examines the relationship between financing decisions such as capital structure, capital budgeting techniques and dividend policy along with the firm’s attributes. We examined the impact of industrial sectors and financial performance using the panel data of 80 listed companies in Kuwait. The results of this study suggest that, contrary to the Trade-off Theory of capital structure, there is a negative association between the level of debt and financial performance. This can be attributed to the high cost of borrowing and the underdeveloped nature of the debt market in Kuwait. Given the unique tax environment in Kuwait, using debt …


Socio-Technical Systems: From Individual Transactions To Situated Community Activity, Helen M. Hasan Aug 2012

Socio-Technical Systems: From Individual Transactions To Situated Community Activity, Helen M. Hasan

Helen Hasan

Although basic concepts of Activity Theory were articulated almost a century ago, they have stood the test of time and are proving to be appropriate for research into modem situation involving the use of socio-technical systems. Over the past decades the field of Information Systems has advanced from a focus on routine transaction processing systems to more sophisticated applications that support situated community activity. This chapter will describe how Activity Theory is becoming increasing relevant to these types of systems and can be complemented by other approaches such as Complexity Theory and a particular Knowledge Lens. Research is presented that …


A Campus Portal Development Methodology To Match Stakeholder Activity, Tharitpong Fuangvut, Helen M. Hasan Aug 2012

A Campus Portal Development Methodology To Match Stakeholder Activity, Tharitpong Fuangvut, Helen M. Hasan

Helen Hasan

Although introduced less than seven years ago, a Campus Portal (CP) can be considered as an emerging technological innovation within higher education institutions. A large number have already adopted the concept and are currently implementing some type of portal to extend the services of their Web site and information systems to support the activities of institutional stakeholders, especially students. There is some literature recommending sets of characteristics and functionality for successful CPs, in particular personalisation and customisation. However there is a lack of evidence on which aspects of core attributes lead to the failure of a portal to satisfy user …


Overcoming Organisational Resistance To Using Wiki Technology For Knowledge Management, Charmaine C. Pfaff, Helen M. Hasan Aug 2012

Overcoming Organisational Resistance To Using Wiki Technology For Knowledge Management, Charmaine C. Pfaff, Helen M. Hasan

Helen Hasan

Although Wikis emerged in the public domain more than a decade ago, a number of business organisations are now discovering the advantages of using Wiki technology to manage knowledge. However, there are many who are not convinced about the merits of this relatively new Wiki technology and are not yet prepared to risk its adoption because it exhibits many ideas that have yet to be tested and many issues that have yet to be resolved. This paper studies the merits of using a Wiki for knowledge management. While some cases of corporate adoption of Wiki technology have been reported, cases …


Ict Devices As Ubiquitous Tools For Information Seeking Activity, Joseph A. Meloche, Helen M. Hasan Aug 2012

Ict Devices As Ubiquitous Tools For Information Seeking Activity, Joseph A. Meloche, Helen M. Hasan

Helen Hasan

This paper investigates the use of current and developing ubiquitous digital devices and the way that they impact on, and are integrated into, use by groups within the community for information seeking. Three cases are presented involving ubiquitous use of the mobile phone, USB memory devices, and a wireless groupware system. The study considers the need for ongoing research to inform, direct and study the innovative use, appropriation and development of such tools. The primary methodological framework that is applied is activity theory, as it allows dasiatoolpsila to be examined in light of purposeful activity in the context of their …


Is For Government Climate Change Adaptation Activities: An Exploratory Case Study, Stephen Smith, Donald Winchester, Helen M. Hasan, Patrick Finnegan Aug 2012

Is For Government Climate Change Adaptation Activities: An Exploratory Case Study, Stephen Smith, Donald Winchester, Helen M. Hasan, Patrick Finnegan

Helen Hasan

This paper reports a case study of climate change adaptation activities of the New South Wales Government’s Climate Change Working Group where ten agencies have responsibility for thirty-five long-term activities. A concurrent Data-Centre Consolidation project has highlighted the mammoth amount of data held by different agencies that must be integrated into information to adequately support these adaptation activities. Our analysis of data collected from interviews and documents reveals the potential of a retrospective ontology capability, and a unique citizen record in enabling this integration. Adaptation activities require resolution of differences in the perspectives of government agencies and citizens and changes …


Collaborative Knowledge At The Grass-Roots Level: The Risks And Rewards Of Corporate Wikis, Charmaine Pfaff, Helen M. Hasan Aug 2012

Collaborative Knowledge At The Grass-Roots Level: The Risks And Rewards Of Corporate Wikis, Charmaine Pfaff, Helen M. Hasan

Helen Hasan

The open source movement is founded on the concept of democratising knowledge to freely collaborate and exchange information at the grass-roots level. As Wikis are philosophically grounded in this movement, the use of corporate Wikis in the collaborative creation and operation of knowledge management systems holds considerable potential. However, the impact of using corporate Wikis in the business environment has uncovered some challenging issues such as licensing, accountability and liability regarding copyright, which may require a change in the way we think about intellectual property and licensing in this connected world.


Implementing Systems In Complex Work Organisations, Wannapa Suratmethakul, Helen M. Hasan Aug 2012

Implementing Systems In Complex Work Organisations, Wannapa Suratmethakul, Helen M. Hasan

Helen Hasan

This paper describes research on a case of the introduction, into a large educational institution, of a complex timetabling system that was already well established in other similar organisations. The research has used a grounded theory approach to reveal details within complex phenomena in an organisation when a substantial new system was implemented. The study revealed three critical issues: Knowledge Transfer, System Capability, and Organisational Context that appeared to be related to the problems of implementing the new information system in the organisation. This research adds to the understanding of a common situation where management have an over simplified view …


Opportunities For Interactivity In Public Health Websites: A Content Analysis Approach, Sumayya Banna, Helen M. Hasan, Joseph A. Meloche Aug 2012

Opportunities For Interactivity In Public Health Websites: A Content Analysis Approach, Sumayya Banna, Helen M. Hasan, Joseph A. Meloche

Helen Hasan

The Internet has many advantages over other media in the provision of information services in the area of public health. However many designers are not yet taking full advantage of its potential for interactivity. This paper examines the development of interactivity in public health websites in the increasingly important area of Palliative Care. Content analysis is used here to map the interactivity in a sample of 30 existing websites along with Heeter’s six dimensions (content and availability of choice, effort users must exert, responsiveness to the users, and the ease of adding information, monitoring the information and the system use, …