The studies in this thesis aim to increase understanding of the effects of various characteristics of scientific news about a common chronic disease, i.e., diabetes, on the cognitive responses (e.g., emotions, attitudes, intentions) of diabetes patients. The research questions presented in this thesis are guided by the Health Belief Model, a theoretical framework developed to explain and predict healthrelated behaviours based on an individual’s beliefs and attitudes. The model asserts that perceived barriers to a recommended health behavior, advantages of the behavior, self-efficacy in executing the behavior, and disease severity and personal susceptibility to the disease are important predictors of a health behavior. Communication is one of the cues to action (i.e., stimuli) that may trigger the decision-making process relating to accepting a medical or lifestyle recommendation.
In this case study, we want to gain insight into how residents of three municipalities communicate about the new murder scenario of the cold case of Marianne Vaatstra and the possibility of a large-scale DNA familial searching. We investigate how stakeholders shape their arguments in conversation with each other and with the police. We investigate the repertoires that participants use to achieve certain effects in their interactions with others in three focus groups. The results show that the analyzed repertoires are strong normative orientated. We see two aspects emerge that affect the support for large-scale DNA familial searching. These are: 1. Cautious formulations: respondents showed restraint in making personal judgments and often formulated these on behalf of others. Participants would not fully express themselves, but adjusted to what seemed the socially desirable course. 2. Collective identity: respondents focused on the similarities between themselves and the needs, interests, and goals of other participants. Participants also tried in a discursive way to convince each other to participate in the large-scale familial searching. These two major discursive activities offered the communication discipline guidance for interventions into the subsequent communication strategy.
In dynamic business environments, the ability to adapt is highly important for organizations in order to best their competition. This is necessary because throughout the years of doing business, organizations have experienced but one constant factor: change. The concept of enterprise agility is designed to counter this phenomenon. In this regard, IT is perceived to play a vital role in enterprise agility, most often viewed as an enabler. However, IT can be an inhibitor of enterprise agility as well because of its potentially restricting nature, structural thinking, bureaucracy, rigor, etc. This especially becomes apparent in information systems (IS) that have been operational in organizations for several years. This research aims at discovering processes of IT management that empower or obstruct enterprise agility. We identify processes on the one hand and aspects of enterprise agility on the other and relate them to each other using propositions. We conclude with the identified contribution of IT management to enterprise agility, propose directions for optimization as well as offer suggestions for additional research.
