This paper illuminates the role of activity theory in addressing theoretical and practical challe... more This paper illuminates the role of activity theory in addressing theoretical and practical challenges raised by the growing role of digital technology in human activity. We explore and review the role of activity theory in the study of crucial digital technologies such as social media, smartphones, blockchain, artificial intelligence, and algorithmic decision-making, considering the unique ways that activity theory accommodates such technologies and can generate novel insights. We identify several apparent limitations of activity theory with an eye toward promoting its development and ability to incorporate modern perspectives and conditions. An important contribution of this paper is to stimulate future research that brings together activity theorists to study, in greater depth, the impacts of digital technology, and to help generate ideas on how it should shape future human activity. The themes covered are pressing questions not only for activity theorists, but for the ways we live, work, and play. We suggest activity theory can play a larger role in discourse on digital technologies, and their impact and evolution over time.
Journal of the Association for Information Systems , 2018
In this paper, we describe how changes in the availability of information artifacts-in particular... more In this paper, we describe how changes in the availability of information artifacts-in particular, information and communication technologies (ICTs)-among smallholder farmers in Ghana, led to a process of hybridization of information practices, and how this process could be linked to underlying institutional change. We use the notions of institutional carriers and activity systems to study the evolution of the prevailing "smallholder" institutional logic of Ghanaian agriculture toward an incoming "value-chain" institutional logic concerned with linking farmers to output markets, improving the knowledge base in agriculture, and increasing its information intensity. We draw on a mixed-methods approach, including in-depth qualitative interviews, focus groups, observations, and detailed secondary quantitative data. We cultivate activity theory as a practice-based lens for structuring inquiry into institutional change. We find that information artifacts served to link the activities of farmers that were embedded in the smallholder logic with those of agricultural-development actors that promoted the value-chain logic. Hybridization occurred through the use of artifacts with different interaction modalities. In terms of conceptualizing change, our findings suggest that hybridization of the two logics may be an intermediary point in the long transition from the smallholder toward the value-chain logic.
This theory development paper argues that activity theory, as a theory of practice, can help over... more This theory development paper argues that activity theory, as a theory of practice, can help overcome long-standing challenges in the field of information systems (IS) by better accounting for the material in work and social activity. The paper has three aims. The first is to cultivate the use of activity theory in IS. To do this the paper elaborates on the use and contribution of activity theory in IS, charts it's use in IS over the last 20 years and discusses how activity theory brings together a range of ideas that have hitherto been excluded from-or inadequately formulated in-other contemporary social theories. The second aim is to explore the challenges surrounding the use of activity theory in understanding interaction between actors and technology. The third aim is to set an agenda for its advancement in IS, to ruminate upon future research concerning the extension of activity theory in IS and develop a 'fourth-generation' activity theory. It also suggests ways in which IS research can inform the development of activity theory. In this way, this paper seeks to be forward-looking as much as reflective to advance an enlarged understanding of activity theory, and argue for its development in IS studies.
This paper examines how development actors within the Ghanaian agricultural sector enact informat... more This paper examines how development actors within the Ghanaian agricultural sector enact information communication technology (ICT) in their day-today outreach practices with smallholder farmers. We draw on an in-depth qualitative case study, informed by the theoretical perspective of 'strategy-as-practice' to answer the research question: 'what ICT-mediated strategic practices are used by development actors in the Ghanaian agriculture sector'? The research findings reveal that: (i) the activities of development actors are meshed within a network of interdependencies; (ii) the enacted strategic practices reflect the trade-off between novelty of content and novelty of the technologies used to deliver it; and lastly, (iii) the praxis of development actors for doing ICT for development consists of hybrid strategies, combining bottom-up approaches consistent with farmers' indigenous smallholder logic, with top-down imperatives framing agriculture 'as a business' and nurturing value-chain integration. Consequently, our research points to the impact of ICT initiatives as step-wise and attained over the long term, rather than disruptive and attained in the immediate term.
Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 2020
While there is a growing body of research on information behavior during non-routine events such ... more While there is a growing body of research on information behavior during non-routine events such as natural disasters, the research has largely neglected older persons as a specific group despite their identification as a demographic that suffers disproportionately during disasters. To address this gap, this paper reports on the study on the information behavior and related activities of older persons during natural disasters. Based on a qualitative study, we draw on the theory of information worlds to study the key activities of preparing, responding and recovering from disasters. The paper contributes to the information behavior literature by developing a more informed understanding of both the interrelationship between the information worlds and activities of older persons, and how older persons seek and share information during disasters.
Based on a four-year longitudinal case study of a French multinational corporation (MNC) this res... more Based on a four-year longitudinal case study of a French multinational corporation (MNC) this research explains how a global enterprise system, initially designed to provide greater control by headquarters across its MNC sites, led to the emergence of unexpected practices-known as workarounds-in its Chinese subsidiaries. Drawing on concepts from activity theory our findings provide greater theoretical understanding of workarounds in three ways. First, users are involved in collectively constructing and implementing workaround practices rather than simply being passive users or reduced to the dichotomous framing of 'accepting' or 'rejecting' an information system. Workarounds are not simple individual user improvizations but are collectively developed and become unofficial local rules. Second, workarounds are part of learning which goes beyond the view of workarounds as deviant and non-compliant behavior. Third, learning activities are not restricted to users and their practices. Rather, as we demonstrate learning and evolution take place between the users, managers, processes and the system; that is, workarounds are not only a critical part of 'getting work done' but also an integral part of the institutionalization of an enterprise system. K E Y W O R D S activity theory, contradictions, information systems in use, learning activities, longitudinal case study, workarounds
The domain of cultural variations in interpersonal communication is becoming increasingly importa... more The domain of cultural variations in interpersonal communication is becoming increasingly important in various areas, including human-human interaction (e.g. business settings) and human-computer interaction (e.g. during simulations, or with social robots). User generated content (UGC) in social media can provide an invaluable source of culturally diverse viewpoints for supporting the understanding of cultural variations. However, discovering and organizing UGC is notoriously challenging and laborious for humans, especially in ill-defined domains such as culture. This calls for computational approaches to automate the UGC sensemaking process by using tagging, linking and exploring. Semantic technologies allow automated structuring and qualitative analysis of UGC, but are dependent on the availability of an ontology representing the main concepts in a specific domain. For the domain of cultural variations in interpersonal communication, no ontological model exists. This paper presents the first such ontological model, called AMOn+, which defines cultural variations and enables tagging culture-related mentions in textual content. AMOn+ is designed based on a novel interdisciplinary approach that combines theoretical models of culture with crowdsourced knowledge (DBpedia). An evaluation of AMOn+ demonstrated its fitness-for-purpose regarding domain coverage for annotating culture-related concepts mentioned in text corpora. This ontology can underpin computational models for making sense of UGC.
Public sector inter-organisational information sharing and interoperability is an area of increas... more Public sector inter-organisational information sharing and interoperability is an area of increasing concern and intense investment for practice and an area of increasing scholarship. This paper focuses on one particular set of public sector organisations (emergency services) and illuminates the key technological and organisational issues they face concerning information sharing and interoperability. The particular contexts in which these are studied are ones where decisions are non-trivial and made in high-velocity environments. In these conditions the problems and significance of inter-organisational information sharing and interoperability are accentuated. We analyse data gathered from two studies: the first focused on “first responders” (police, fire and ambulance services) in the UK. The second, a follow on study, with emergency service managers and interoperability project managers in the UK and the EU. Using activity theory as a conceptual framework we describe the informational problems critical emergency responders face in their initial response to, and management of, an incident. We argue that rather than focusing on interoperability as a primarily technological issue it should be managed as an organisational and informational issue. Secondly we argue that rather than designing for anomalous situations we should design systems which will function during both anomalous and routine situations. Thirdly we argue for focus on harmonisation of policies, procedures and working practices.
The paper compares critical realism and activity theory within the context of theorising technolo... more The paper compares critical realism and activity theory within the context of theorising technology-mediated organizational change. An activity theoretic analysis of the implementation of large-scale disruptive information systems (IS) in a public sector setting (in particular concerning paramedic treatment of heart attack patients and ambulance dispatch work activity) is used to illustrate how activity theory makes a significant contribution to critical realism, by (i) locating technology within ‘activity systems’ and theorising change through contradictions and congruencies within those systems; (ii) developing recent critical realism-inspired theorisation of the ‘inscription’ of cultural and social relations within technology; and (iii) developing recent insights of critical realist researchers regarding the way in which the performance management agenda is mediated through IS.
This paper provides an analysis of a broadband implementation in the town of Slavutych, Ukraine. ... more This paper provides an analysis of a broadband implementation in the town of Slavutych, Ukraine. Slavutych was purposefully built 50km from Chernobyl shortly after the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP) disaster in 1986 to house personnel of ChNPP and their families evacuated from the city of Prip'yat. Drawing on activity theory and in particular the notion of activity systems we demonstrate how an activity system approach can be used to frame Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICTD) intervention. We highlight the tools used to mediate the activity, the activity motivation and the relevant stakeholders and examine the role of “contradictions”. Using the notion of connected activities we also provide some theoretical basis for understanding the emergence of activities and conceptualising the impact of development projects, arguing that the outcome of an activity leads to/is consumed by other related activities. This paper contributes to scholarship in the field of ICTD using an empirical case in a complex setting and furthers theoretical development by advancing an activity system perspective for understanding and theorising ICTD interventions.
Public Safety (PS) organizations bring value to society by creating a stable and secure environme... more Public Safety (PS) organizations bring value to society by creating a stable and secure environment. The services they provide include protection of people, environment and property and they address a large number of threats both natural and man-made, acts of terrorism, technological, radiological or environmental accidents. The capability to exchange information (e.g., voice or data) is essential to improve the coordination of PS officers during an emergency crisis and improve response efforts. Wireless communications are particularly important in field operations to support the mobility of first responders. Recent disasters have increased the focus and emphasized the importance of the need to enhance interoperability, capacity and broadband connectivity of the wireless networks used by PS organizations. This paper surveys the outstanding challenges in this area, the status of wireless communication technologies in this particular domain and the current regulatory, standardization and research activities to address the identified challenges, with a particular focus on the USA and Europe.
Mobile technology and the information and communication services supported by it have become incr... more Mobile technology and the information and communication services supported by it have become increasingly embedded in, and in some cases transformed, work and social activity and created new challenges for studying information systems. This paper focuses on the experience with mobile technology in an inherently mobile and information intensive work activity-policing. Drawing upon data from this context this paper makes two key sets of contributions. Empirically, we illuminate the congruencies and contradictions between mobile technology and mobile working, and the relationship between the two, revealing a state of change based upon dialectic interaction. We highlight several ways in which mobile technology has changed the nature of mobile work activity. Theoretically we advance the use of activity theory to better understand the changes of mobile technology mediated work. We extend traditional use of activity theory by adopting congruencies as an analytical lens, in addition to the approach of examining contradictions. The findings are applicable to other areas of mobile work and contribute to the body of knowledge concerning mobile technology mediated work.
In this paper we explore the links among institutionalisation and legitimacy, within capacity-bui... more In this paper we explore the links among institutionalisation and legitimacy, within capacity-building efforts in the context of development. We study the network of linked activities for agricultural extension service provision; at the level of policymaking, district management and at the field level in Ghana. Our mixed-method research approach includes extensive qualitative (observation and interviews), as well as quantitative (spatial mobility data) fieldwork at three districts. Findings concerning service delivery at the different operational levels, are heavily scaffolded by means of Activity Theory; while Institutional Theory informs our answer to the research question, " how do technical and institutional pressures, on the ground as well as at the policy level, shape performed extension activities and management strategies? ". The empirical contributions of this work include explanations of institutional decoupling effects; and understandings of decoupling as a district level strategy for maintaining legitimacy with external rural constituents and with internal organisational stakeholders. The theoretical contribution of this work involves the synthesis of Activity Theory and Institutional Theory, into an approach for the generation of meaningful insights. A further contribution is the use of a mixed-methods research strategy.
Despite the increasing use of mobile devices and their applications in the travel and tourism are... more Despite the increasing use of mobile devices and their applications in the travel and tourism arena, there is a lack of literature that considers how mobile device tourism applications could be evaluated. Built around a discussion of information attributes (a series of dimensions by which the delivery of information can be assessed) that have been specifically developed for the tourism sector and an examination of the specific characteristics of mobile devices, this theoretical article classifies different online tourism applications that can be accessed by mobile devices according to Angehrn's four virtual " spaces " (information, communication, distribution, and transaction). This is for the purpose of demonstrating that the majority of applications in the mobile tourism arena eventually fall within the realm of information provision and can thus be assessed according to how they perform in relation to information attributes. A model of ICDT Internet flows on mobile devices for the travel and tourism consumer is presented.
This chapter introduces mobile technology and discusses its emergence in the tourism industry. As... more This chapter introduces mobile technology and discusses its emergence in the tourism industry. As has been the case with other Information Communication Technologies (ICTs), tourism has manifested as one of the most well suited sectors to mobile technology and mobile applications. In contrast to other ICTs in the tourism domain however, mobile applications are capable of enhancing the tourist experience at the destination, creating a paradigm shift in how information is accessed and digested, and transactions performed. Nonetheless, little is known concerning how mobile technologies are changing the landscape of tourism and tourist behaviour and the content offered by tourism applications. In order to address the scarcity of research in this emergent area this paper focuses on mobile applications in the tourism industry and based on a literature survey proposes a framework for evaluating mobile tourism applications.
This paper illuminates the role of activity theory in addressing theoretical and practical challe... more This paper illuminates the role of activity theory in addressing theoretical and practical challenges raised by the growing role of digital technology in human activity. We explore and review the role of activity theory in the study of crucial digital technologies such as social media, smartphones, blockchain, artificial intelligence, and algorithmic decision-making, considering the unique ways that activity theory accommodates such technologies and can generate novel insights. We identify several apparent limitations of activity theory with an eye toward promoting its development and ability to incorporate modern perspectives and conditions. An important contribution of this paper is to stimulate future research that brings together activity theorists to study, in greater depth, the impacts of digital technology, and to help generate ideas on how it should shape future human activity. The themes covered are pressing questions not only for activity theorists, but for the ways we live, work, and play. We suggest activity theory can play a larger role in discourse on digital technologies, and their impact and evolution over time.
Journal of the Association for Information Systems , 2018
In this paper, we describe how changes in the availability of information artifacts-in particular... more In this paper, we describe how changes in the availability of information artifacts-in particular, information and communication technologies (ICTs)-among smallholder farmers in Ghana, led to a process of hybridization of information practices, and how this process could be linked to underlying institutional change. We use the notions of institutional carriers and activity systems to study the evolution of the prevailing "smallholder" institutional logic of Ghanaian agriculture toward an incoming "value-chain" institutional logic concerned with linking farmers to output markets, improving the knowledge base in agriculture, and increasing its information intensity. We draw on a mixed-methods approach, including in-depth qualitative interviews, focus groups, observations, and detailed secondary quantitative data. We cultivate activity theory as a practice-based lens for structuring inquiry into institutional change. We find that information artifacts served to link the activities of farmers that were embedded in the smallholder logic with those of agricultural-development actors that promoted the value-chain logic. Hybridization occurred through the use of artifacts with different interaction modalities. In terms of conceptualizing change, our findings suggest that hybridization of the two logics may be an intermediary point in the long transition from the smallholder toward the value-chain logic.
This theory development paper argues that activity theory, as a theory of practice, can help over... more This theory development paper argues that activity theory, as a theory of practice, can help overcome long-standing challenges in the field of information systems (IS) by better accounting for the material in work and social activity. The paper has three aims. The first is to cultivate the use of activity theory in IS. To do this the paper elaborates on the use and contribution of activity theory in IS, charts it's use in IS over the last 20 years and discusses how activity theory brings together a range of ideas that have hitherto been excluded from-or inadequately formulated in-other contemporary social theories. The second aim is to explore the challenges surrounding the use of activity theory in understanding interaction between actors and technology. The third aim is to set an agenda for its advancement in IS, to ruminate upon future research concerning the extension of activity theory in IS and develop a 'fourth-generation' activity theory. It also suggests ways in which IS research can inform the development of activity theory. In this way, this paper seeks to be forward-looking as much as reflective to advance an enlarged understanding of activity theory, and argue for its development in IS studies.
This paper examines how development actors within the Ghanaian agricultural sector enact informat... more This paper examines how development actors within the Ghanaian agricultural sector enact information communication technology (ICT) in their day-today outreach practices with smallholder farmers. We draw on an in-depth qualitative case study, informed by the theoretical perspective of 'strategy-as-practice' to answer the research question: 'what ICT-mediated strategic practices are used by development actors in the Ghanaian agriculture sector'? The research findings reveal that: (i) the activities of development actors are meshed within a network of interdependencies; (ii) the enacted strategic practices reflect the trade-off between novelty of content and novelty of the technologies used to deliver it; and lastly, (iii) the praxis of development actors for doing ICT for development consists of hybrid strategies, combining bottom-up approaches consistent with farmers' indigenous smallholder logic, with top-down imperatives framing agriculture 'as a business' and nurturing value-chain integration. Consequently, our research points to the impact of ICT initiatives as step-wise and attained over the long term, rather than disruptive and attained in the immediate term.
Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 2020
While there is a growing body of research on information behavior during non-routine events such ... more While there is a growing body of research on information behavior during non-routine events such as natural disasters, the research has largely neglected older persons as a specific group despite their identification as a demographic that suffers disproportionately during disasters. To address this gap, this paper reports on the study on the information behavior and related activities of older persons during natural disasters. Based on a qualitative study, we draw on the theory of information worlds to study the key activities of preparing, responding and recovering from disasters. The paper contributes to the information behavior literature by developing a more informed understanding of both the interrelationship between the information worlds and activities of older persons, and how older persons seek and share information during disasters.
Based on a four-year longitudinal case study of a French multinational corporation (MNC) this res... more Based on a four-year longitudinal case study of a French multinational corporation (MNC) this research explains how a global enterprise system, initially designed to provide greater control by headquarters across its MNC sites, led to the emergence of unexpected practices-known as workarounds-in its Chinese subsidiaries. Drawing on concepts from activity theory our findings provide greater theoretical understanding of workarounds in three ways. First, users are involved in collectively constructing and implementing workaround practices rather than simply being passive users or reduced to the dichotomous framing of 'accepting' or 'rejecting' an information system. Workarounds are not simple individual user improvizations but are collectively developed and become unofficial local rules. Second, workarounds are part of learning which goes beyond the view of workarounds as deviant and non-compliant behavior. Third, learning activities are not restricted to users and their practices. Rather, as we demonstrate learning and evolution take place between the users, managers, processes and the system; that is, workarounds are not only a critical part of 'getting work done' but also an integral part of the institutionalization of an enterprise system. K E Y W O R D S activity theory, contradictions, information systems in use, learning activities, longitudinal case study, workarounds
The domain of cultural variations in interpersonal communication is becoming increasingly importa... more The domain of cultural variations in interpersonal communication is becoming increasingly important in various areas, including human-human interaction (e.g. business settings) and human-computer interaction (e.g. during simulations, or with social robots). User generated content (UGC) in social media can provide an invaluable source of culturally diverse viewpoints for supporting the understanding of cultural variations. However, discovering and organizing UGC is notoriously challenging and laborious for humans, especially in ill-defined domains such as culture. This calls for computational approaches to automate the UGC sensemaking process by using tagging, linking and exploring. Semantic technologies allow automated structuring and qualitative analysis of UGC, but are dependent on the availability of an ontology representing the main concepts in a specific domain. For the domain of cultural variations in interpersonal communication, no ontological model exists. This paper presents the first such ontological model, called AMOn+, which defines cultural variations and enables tagging culture-related mentions in textual content. AMOn+ is designed based on a novel interdisciplinary approach that combines theoretical models of culture with crowdsourced knowledge (DBpedia). An evaluation of AMOn+ demonstrated its fitness-for-purpose regarding domain coverage for annotating culture-related concepts mentioned in text corpora. This ontology can underpin computational models for making sense of UGC.
Public sector inter-organisational information sharing and interoperability is an area of increas... more Public sector inter-organisational information sharing and interoperability is an area of increasing concern and intense investment for practice and an area of increasing scholarship. This paper focuses on one particular set of public sector organisations (emergency services) and illuminates the key technological and organisational issues they face concerning information sharing and interoperability. The particular contexts in which these are studied are ones where decisions are non-trivial and made in high-velocity environments. In these conditions the problems and significance of inter-organisational information sharing and interoperability are accentuated. We analyse data gathered from two studies: the first focused on “first responders” (police, fire and ambulance services) in the UK. The second, a follow on study, with emergency service managers and interoperability project managers in the UK and the EU. Using activity theory as a conceptual framework we describe the informational problems critical emergency responders face in their initial response to, and management of, an incident. We argue that rather than focusing on interoperability as a primarily technological issue it should be managed as an organisational and informational issue. Secondly we argue that rather than designing for anomalous situations we should design systems which will function during both anomalous and routine situations. Thirdly we argue for focus on harmonisation of policies, procedures and working practices.
The paper compares critical realism and activity theory within the context of theorising technolo... more The paper compares critical realism and activity theory within the context of theorising technology-mediated organizational change. An activity theoretic analysis of the implementation of large-scale disruptive information systems (IS) in a public sector setting (in particular concerning paramedic treatment of heart attack patients and ambulance dispatch work activity) is used to illustrate how activity theory makes a significant contribution to critical realism, by (i) locating technology within ‘activity systems’ and theorising change through contradictions and congruencies within those systems; (ii) developing recent critical realism-inspired theorisation of the ‘inscription’ of cultural and social relations within technology; and (iii) developing recent insights of critical realist researchers regarding the way in which the performance management agenda is mediated through IS.
This paper provides an analysis of a broadband implementation in the town of Slavutych, Ukraine. ... more This paper provides an analysis of a broadband implementation in the town of Slavutych, Ukraine. Slavutych was purposefully built 50km from Chernobyl shortly after the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP) disaster in 1986 to house personnel of ChNPP and their families evacuated from the city of Prip'yat. Drawing on activity theory and in particular the notion of activity systems we demonstrate how an activity system approach can be used to frame Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICTD) intervention. We highlight the tools used to mediate the activity, the activity motivation and the relevant stakeholders and examine the role of “contradictions”. Using the notion of connected activities we also provide some theoretical basis for understanding the emergence of activities and conceptualising the impact of development projects, arguing that the outcome of an activity leads to/is consumed by other related activities. This paper contributes to scholarship in the field of ICTD using an empirical case in a complex setting and furthers theoretical development by advancing an activity system perspective for understanding and theorising ICTD interventions.
Public Safety (PS) organizations bring value to society by creating a stable and secure environme... more Public Safety (PS) organizations bring value to society by creating a stable and secure environment. The services they provide include protection of people, environment and property and they address a large number of threats both natural and man-made, acts of terrorism, technological, radiological or environmental accidents. The capability to exchange information (e.g., voice or data) is essential to improve the coordination of PS officers during an emergency crisis and improve response efforts. Wireless communications are particularly important in field operations to support the mobility of first responders. Recent disasters have increased the focus and emphasized the importance of the need to enhance interoperability, capacity and broadband connectivity of the wireless networks used by PS organizations. This paper surveys the outstanding challenges in this area, the status of wireless communication technologies in this particular domain and the current regulatory, standardization and research activities to address the identified challenges, with a particular focus on the USA and Europe.
Mobile technology and the information and communication services supported by it have become incr... more Mobile technology and the information and communication services supported by it have become increasingly embedded in, and in some cases transformed, work and social activity and created new challenges for studying information systems. This paper focuses on the experience with mobile technology in an inherently mobile and information intensive work activity-policing. Drawing upon data from this context this paper makes two key sets of contributions. Empirically, we illuminate the congruencies and contradictions between mobile technology and mobile working, and the relationship between the two, revealing a state of change based upon dialectic interaction. We highlight several ways in which mobile technology has changed the nature of mobile work activity. Theoretically we advance the use of activity theory to better understand the changes of mobile technology mediated work. We extend traditional use of activity theory by adopting congruencies as an analytical lens, in addition to the approach of examining contradictions. The findings are applicable to other areas of mobile work and contribute to the body of knowledge concerning mobile technology mediated work.
In this paper we explore the links among institutionalisation and legitimacy, within capacity-bui... more In this paper we explore the links among institutionalisation and legitimacy, within capacity-building efforts in the context of development. We study the network of linked activities for agricultural extension service provision; at the level of policymaking, district management and at the field level in Ghana. Our mixed-method research approach includes extensive qualitative (observation and interviews), as well as quantitative (spatial mobility data) fieldwork at three districts. Findings concerning service delivery at the different operational levels, are heavily scaffolded by means of Activity Theory; while Institutional Theory informs our answer to the research question, " how do technical and institutional pressures, on the ground as well as at the policy level, shape performed extension activities and management strategies? ". The empirical contributions of this work include explanations of institutional decoupling effects; and understandings of decoupling as a district level strategy for maintaining legitimacy with external rural constituents and with internal organisational stakeholders. The theoretical contribution of this work involves the synthesis of Activity Theory and Institutional Theory, into an approach for the generation of meaningful insights. A further contribution is the use of a mixed-methods research strategy.
Despite the increasing use of mobile devices and their applications in the travel and tourism are... more Despite the increasing use of mobile devices and their applications in the travel and tourism arena, there is a lack of literature that considers how mobile device tourism applications could be evaluated. Built around a discussion of information attributes (a series of dimensions by which the delivery of information can be assessed) that have been specifically developed for the tourism sector and an examination of the specific characteristics of mobile devices, this theoretical article classifies different online tourism applications that can be accessed by mobile devices according to Angehrn's four virtual " spaces " (information, communication, distribution, and transaction). This is for the purpose of demonstrating that the majority of applications in the mobile tourism arena eventually fall within the realm of information provision and can thus be assessed according to how they perform in relation to information attributes. A model of ICDT Internet flows on mobile devices for the travel and tourism consumer is presented.
This chapter introduces mobile technology and discusses its emergence in the tourism industry. As... more This chapter introduces mobile technology and discusses its emergence in the tourism industry. As has been the case with other Information Communication Technologies (ICTs), tourism has manifested as one of the most well suited sectors to mobile technology and mobile applications. In contrast to other ICTs in the tourism domain however, mobile applications are capable of enhancing the tourist experience at the destination, creating a paradigm shift in how information is accessed and digested, and transactions performed. Nonetheless, little is known concerning how mobile technologies are changing the landscape of tourism and tourist behaviour and the content offered by tourism applications. In order to address the scarcity of research in this emergent area this paper focuses on mobile applications in the tourism industry and based on a literature survey proposes a framework for evaluating mobile tourism applications.
Data centre energy consumption is expected to increase organisational costs and CO2 emissions. Gr... more Data centre energy consumption is expected to increase organisational costs and CO2 emissions. Greening data centres can decrease these negative impacts. As a result, examining the antecedents to approaches for greening data centres in order to facilitate their widespread adoption is critical. This study aims to identify the antecedents to the adoption of technologies and techniques (including those that are commonly accepted to produce successful outcomes, i.e. best practices) in greening data centres. A conceptual framework is proposed for explicating the conditions that might influence the adoption of the best practices in greening data centres. The conceptual framework is partially explored through two case studies. A series of theoretical propositions that are rooted in institutional, motivation-ability and utilitarian theories are proposed. The findings show that organisational propensity to adopt greening data centre best practices is based on institutional pressure, organisational and environmental efficiency motivations, organisational ability to take on greener practices and performance and effort expectancy.
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Papers by Stan Karanasios