The mid-twentieth century marked a shift in Americans’ fundamental orientation toward information. Rather than news or knowledge, information became a disembodied quantum—strings of ones and zeros processed, increasingly, by complex machines. This dissertation examines how Americans became acquainted with “information”, as newly conceived by science. Through the press, through mass culture (in particular, the genre of science fiction), and through the tireless evangelism of a group of self-styled visionaries, Americans encountered a new cultural icon, the computer. The “electric brain” of the 1940s and ’50s promised to revolutionize the way information was handled by scientists, businessmen, and economic planners. Like the atom bomb, the computer inspired equal measures of awe and fear； information-processing machines were faster, more reliable, and potentially smarter than their organic peers. At midcentury, computer automation was rapidly spread through the American economy； many wondered if human workers (skilled and unskilled alike) would find themselves obsolete relics of a bygone industrial age? I discover that the initial alarmism gave way in the 1960s to a reimagining of the computer and its user as a mutual, cybernetic feedback system that would simultaneously improve productivity, creativity, and workers’ wages. In this way, a more humanistic generation of information science “ambassadors” smoothed the computer’s acceptance in American society. The computer was thus reconfigured as a user-friendly communication device that anyone, given adequate training, could employ in their work and daily lives. At the same time, human brains came to be viewed through a new prism—as soft machines excelling at the generation of ideas. The human computer, in interface with its silicon cousins, would think in more powerful ways than ever. I track the emergence of a new consensus through popular media and identify its most important exponents. The story of this idea, told through a series of reticulating biographies, helps illuminate Americans’ engagement with technology, with the future, and with the nature of thought itself.

Organizations are increasingly confronted by tremendous challenges, including competition, globalization, the economy, regulation, outsourcing, advances in technology, and the rapid creation of new knowledge. Knowledge management is a strategy that helps to address these challenges because it supports organizations in increasing their competitive advantage by leveraging the intellectual capital already present in the organizations. The purpose of this quantitative study was to identify the reasons human performance improvement (HPI) practitioners use knowledge management practices and the effectiveness they attribute to using knowledge management practices to increase organizational performance. This study also tested a hypothesis that there was a significant statistical relationship (p &le； .05) between HPI practitioner perception regarding the use of knowledge management to increase efficiency by using knowledge to improve production processes and HPI practitioner perception of the improvement of worker efficiency and/or productivity through knowledge management practices. To conduct the study, a quantitative survey was sent via e-mail to members of two HPI professional organizations. Study participants shared information on their views related to knowledge management practices, the importance of reasons for using knowledge management practices, and the effectiveness of results for knowledge management practices in increasing organizational performance. Using descriptive statistics and factor analysis, it was found that though there are many reasons HPI practitioners use knowledge management practices, the majority of reasons fall within the dimension of human capital enablement. In terms of the effectiveness HPI practitioners attributed to using knowledge management practices to increase organizational performance, study results find that market effectiveness was the most significant factor related to effectiveness of results. A chi-square analysis showed that there was a statistically significant relationship between HPI practitioner perception regarding the use of knowledge management to increase efficiency by using knowledge to improve production processes and HPI practitioner perception of the improvement of worker efficiency and/or productivity through knowledge management practices.

In the following dissertation, I develop a model for studying how local publics are assembled. Using textual analysis and individual interviews, I explore two Lansing area community initiatives and their advertising and recruitment practices via public documents on their websites. In doing so, I uncover public and private motivations and influences on the crafting of these public documents, which are impacted by conditions of access, chronos, organizational roles, and available topoi in the local public sphere. Because community initiatives constantly engage in making public documents to garner support and to “recruit” various stakeholders, “taking inventory” of such documents and the people and processes from which they are produced is key to understanding how and why these initiatives “go public.” Community initiative coordinators produce “local publics” of stakeholders through the production of public documents—and each public document represents an opportunity to alter community initiative representation, garner more stakeholders, and shape the local public sphere. Collectively, these public documents create a fragmented “public” history about each initiative. These public documents, however, do not foreground their own production； alone, community initiatives cannot use them to create sustainable public documents. I argue that keeping an active inventory of public documents, as well as keeping records of stakeholder relationships, community initiatives and researchers can provide a strong base for public document production and subsequent evaluation of impact on their intended audiences.

The notion of knowledge internalization KI), albeit a critical link in Nonakas 1994) organizational knowledge creation theory, has not been rigorously conceptualized and defined, let alone operationalized. To strengthen the foundation for knowledge management KM) research, we attempt to fulfill the following research objectives in the three essays of this dissertation. In the first essay, by drawing from Anderson 1983)s ACT adaptive control of thought) theory and Glaser et al. 1985)s framework on the dimensions of cognitive skills, we develop the construct of KI and demonstrate its nomological validity by examining its role in knowledge sharing phenomenon through its relationships with knowledge self-efficacy, expert power, and intention to share knowledge. In the second essay, we apply the KI construct and show that whether people will share their tacit knowledge, measured via expert power, depends on the degree of KI and the extent of a knowledge-based individual-task-technology fit, based on Goodhue and Thompson 1995)s task and technology fit theory, of which knowledge self-efficacy, preference for personalization KM strategy, accessibility of corresponding KM systems, and task variety, are conceptualized as the underlying components. In the third essay, we profile knowledge workers in organizations using the dimensions of KI, and explore how each profile varies in terms of knowledge self-efficacy, expert power, knowledge sharing intention, and preference for KM strategy. With the three essays, we contribute to KM research by demonstrating that KI is a crucial construct that can help clarify many unresolved issues in KM. To practice, we offer a reliable, easy-to-use, and domain-independent instrument that can be used in evaluating not only the effectiveness of knowledge workers in creating sustainable competitive advantage of organizations, but also success of organizational KM initiatives.

Current scholarly understanding of information security regulation in the United States is limited. Several competing mechanisms exist, many of which are untested in the courts and before state regulators, and new mechanisms are being proposed on a regular basis. Perhaps of even greater concern, the pace at which technology and threats change far outpaces the abilities of even the most sophisticated regulators. My Ph.D. dissertation focuses on understanding these laws—how we can classify them, what effects they have, and what are the implications of these effects for organizations and professionals. I explore these concepts through a mixed methods approach, utilizing both qualitative semi-structured interviews and quantitative data on breach incidence. The qualitative interviews inform the development of my hypothesis in addition to providing a basis for empirical analysis. The quantitative data is limited, but promising both in results and in the potential for the future analysis. In this Dissertation, I report preliminary results as to the effect certain of certain laws on information security practices. I develop a system for classifying information security regulation, and develop hypotheses as to the effect certain types of regulation have on organizations and information security professionals. Two notable conclusions result. First, the combination of Security Breach Notification SBN) laws and management-based “regulatory delegation” models together is better at preventing breaches of personal information by organizations in the United States than is either model alone. Second, compliance-oriented prescriptive legislation such as SBNs weakens the role of security professionals within organizations, while management-based regulatory delegation models such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act HIPAA) and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Financial Modernization Act GLBA) strengthen the role of professionals within organizations.

This purpose of this dissertation is to provide critics with an answer to the information quality deficit dilemma that impedes civic discourse. Political deliberation in the wake of September 11 demonstrates the severity of this purpose. The theory of deliberative criticism proposed in this dissertation provides a theoretical foundation for critics interested in facilitating the credibility of public policy for a public audience. It arises from the rich tradition of democratic political theory and its vital relationship to civic discourse. Deliberative criticism responds to a disciplinary need for rhetorical critics to provide theoretical and methodological frameworks that can be incorporated by other disciplines interested in political deliberation. By rehabilitating the activist turn in rhetorical theory, it also affirms the importance of history and its immediate relevance to contemporary political policy. Developing a method for engaging digital archives is the proposed solution to the problem of how academics can respond to the information quality deficit dilemma. Reincorporating the deliberative function of the archive through an exploration of new media technologies provides critics with the opportunity to achieve involvement, influence, and immediacy within civic discourse. Deliberative criticism of digital archives and its application of thematic analysis, rhetorical contextualization, and precautions for determining source credibility achieve this purpose. Enacting deliberative criticism as an analytical tool for engaging digital archives improves the credibility of information made available in public policy deliberation. The dissertations case study focuses on the U.S.-Afghan policy debate, which is the biggest foreign policy problem that President Obamas 2009–2012 administration faces, to show the application and effectiveness of deliberative criticism. It illustrates this point, while also illustrating how the deliberative criticism of U.S. foreign policy knowledge construction can be used to identify and discuss political arguments and textual silences the American public needs to be aware of in 2011s present and most pressing military engagement. This example of deliberative criticism provides the reader with an up-to-date credible policy analysis regarding U.S.-Afghan policy, as well as the historical factors that provided the impetus for U.S. involvement.

This research study explored the information security technologies that are currently being used within organizations； attempted to determine if, according to information technology IT) professionals, these technologies are performing the security tasks they were designed to perform； and evaluated the survivability of the infrastructure network after the infrastructure had been attacked or penetrated. The Technology-to-Performance Chain and the fit between tasks, technologies, and individual characteristics Task-Technology Fit) of the IT professionals are the theoretical basis for this study. The types of security technologies and procedures are determined and specified by the organizations strategic plans and policy statements, which govern all aspects of organizational operations. The motivation for this study was to determine the characteristics that define the IT professionals abilities in utilizing specific security technologies to perform their tasks of securing the infrastructure network to maintain network survivability under all conditions. By evaluating these characteristics, organizations can effectively design training programs, evaluate information security risks, determine security technologies that are required to secure their infrastructure, and ultimately ensure the security of their proprietary data bases, repositories, and infrastructure network. Infrastructure networks have become the backbone of private industry and government agencies all over the world and must be protected from cyber-attacks and terrorism. This study incorporated the methodology of previous studies, but added the evaluations of security technologies and tasks by the IT professionals. This research study utilized a survey design which received a sample size of 328 usable responses from across the United States. Structural Equation Modeling was used to determine the strength of the relationships between Task-Technology Fit, perceived performance impacts, and utilization of security technologies. Hypotheses 1b, 2a, 2b, and 2c were not supported and hypotheses 1a, 3, and 4 were supported. Hypotheses 1b through 2c were not supported due to the re-specification of the original model which eliminated perceived performance impacts PPI) and utilization of security technologies ITUtil). Additional testing and re-specifying the model resulted in PPI and ITUtil being utilized to test, through confirmatory factor analysis, if these constructs did, in fact, contribute to the results of these findings.

The Internet contributes to organizations transparency on financial market by allowing a vast group of stakeholders to be reached quickly. They can use the Internet as a strategic tool to set themselves apart from their competitors. They can use it as a way to maintain relations with their stakeholders. Research in accounting had mainly focused on web site content analysis, on the content determinants, and, to a lesser extent, on a description of certain aspects of the Internet communication process. Internet practices are thus dependent upon economic and cultural contexts； stakeholders needs are not considered in an optimal manner. The incorporation of the Internet strategy into the overall communication strategy has some weaknesses. Managers have not much knowledge of the work performed by auditors to add credibility to information disclosed on web sites. The aim of this study is to provide an overview of how companies are managing their web site content and to see to what extent content is affected. We examine how different stakeholders and contextual factors influence structures related to web site content management. We also analyse the relationship between this and the web site content. Our theoretical discussion is based on stakeholder and contingency perspectives. Under the configurational contingency approach, we propose that a higher content index results from a proper fit between contextual and structural factors and from a multiple stakeholder orientation. Under the cartesian contingency approach, we propose that contextual factors influence web site content both directly and indirectly due to structural factors. A mail survey sent to the web site managers of 551 organizations incorporated in Canada resulted in a 32.7% response rate. The web sites of the 180 companies taking part in the study were analysed based on a list of 161 items composing the content index. Results indicate that stakeholder orientation, the size of the organization and business sector influence the web site content. Some structures affect specific content. Top management support and the resources allocated to web sites determine to what extent structures are developed. There are gaps between stakeholder orientation, site objectives and site content. Boards of directors and auditors are not very involved in the Internet communication process. Overall, research avenues are evolving in the area of corporate governance, auditing and strategy.

The phenomenon of connected communities shows that the Internet can be a powerful tool in promoting cohesiveness between community actors. Indeed, public and nonpublic initiatives with the aim of networking members of a community through a virtual platform, and attempts to federate existing local initiatives through a collective portal are multiplying in the developed countries. This has given rise to expressions such as “connected city,” “intelligent city,” and “digital city.” However, uses developed from Internet applications have remained primarily instruments limited to information dissemination or service delivery. In the thesis, we maintain that it is possible to go beyond the instrumental character of Internet applications and to give a developmental character to processing for designing and developing a collective portal. A learning community is a completed form of connected community that promotes local actors to develop a creative synergy that can yield ideas, collaboration, and development projects. In addition to promoting the use of ICTs, a learning community project can stimulate public participation in community activities, redefine community governance, and give rise to a relational strategy that can generate the knowledge, distinctive competences, and collective capabilities that influence the direction of community development.

This dissertation examines the city of Torontos eCity initiative, a broad-reaching strategy for managing information and communications technologies within municipal government. Providing a means for investigating the intersection of politics, government, information technologies and citizenship, eCity serves as a lens for understanding the ways in which governing enacts specific rationalities and enables particular political practices within the city. It sits within a broader context of crisis–financial, ethical, political–that continues to inform city planning and governance, and operationalizes a particular mode of technological citizenship: electronic government. Through a review of policy documents, interviews and observations, this dissertation analyzes the contexts and rationalities which frame and shape the emergence of eCity. It also examines understandings of government and democracy within a strategy of electronic government by bringing to light ways in which political practices are conceived, enacted and negotiated, with particular emphasis on the spaces of the city. As part of what are broadly understood as strategies of neo-liberal rule, electronic government follows a logic of privatization, reorganization and re-regulation of state institutions and processes, emphasizing the role of the market and the individual within political and administrative practices. As the site and means by which electronic government is rendered material, the city opens up specific, differentiated spaces that enable particular practices while bringing together multiple projects from different levels of government federal, provincial, municipal). These projects in turn reinforce and extend electronic government, and act to stabilize crises and uncertainties produced through neo-liberal rule. The spaces they produce emphasize individualized, private and consumerist interactions between residents and government, while rendering government a largely technical, automated and quantifiable function. These spaces enable particular forms of freedom and mobility, while restricting what constitutes politics as an administrative question of resource allocation and customer service.