Actor-network theory as a method for evaluating the energy sectors

The objective of this article was to evaluate the current utilization of the Actor-Network Theory (ANT) as a research method in the energy sector. High impact scientific articles gathered from the ScienceDirect database were analyzed, taking into account the methodological research particularities (in terms of its nature, objective, issue approach, and technical procedures) and the means of data collection and analysis in the light of the ANT method. Few pieces of research in the energy sector were found utilizing ANT as an analysis method. A pattern for the methodological characterization was identified, in which most of the articles approached ANT as a diagnostic, exploratory, qualitative, and analytical method for case studies. Since most of the papers aimed mainly at the reconstruction of past events, data collection was characterized mainly by searching for documents and, whenever possible, by contacting the players who participated in the reconstructed history. The analysis, though, aimed at identifying the participants and the dynamics of their interactions. The ANT method presents immense potential for research in the energy sector since energy systems evolve throughout complex networks, inseverable from environmental, technological, and social, including those of political and economic nature. Still, as yet, in a continually growing development scenario, ANT's utilization may contribute to understanding how these networks evolve and who plays the most crucial role in it.

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Tracing healthcare organisation integration in the UK using actor–network theory

Journal of Health Organization and Management ◽

10.1108/jhom-12-2019-0339 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 34 (2) ◽

pp. 192-206 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Abdelhakim Altabaibeh ◽

Kay Ann Caldwell ◽

Margaret A Volante

Keyword(s):

Data Collection ◽

Network Theory ◽

Policy Process ◽

Actor Network Theory ◽

Healthcare Organisation ◽

Integration Process ◽

Patient Journey ◽

Actor Network ◽

Content Type

PurposeThe study presents the findings from a study over a four-year period of the emergence of an integrated healthcare organisation in response to policy changes within the United Kingdom (UK). The aim of the research was to understand the process of healthcare organisation integration through the lens of actor–network theory (ANT).Design/methodology/approachAn instrumental case study approach to data collection was selected. Three methods of data collection were used to trace the healthcare organisation integration process: in depth semistructured interviews using a virtual patient journey across services with 36 purposefully selected informants, document analysis and field observations and notes.FindingsThe findings of this study suggest that neither the context nor the actors were the sole determinants of the outcome of the integration. Rather it was the dynamic interplay between the actors, their context, the shared agency and the resources available to them as the change emerged shaped the end result.Research implicationsThe findings denote that organisations need to attend to frontline workers as key contributors to change and development that is meaningful for service users. Methodologically, combining the ANT and constructive case study to understand the integration process provided us with new perspective to understand the trajectory of change process.Originality/valueThis original case study fills a gap in information about the role of healthcare professionals in healthcare policy process and the interactive relationship between all stakeholders of policy process including nonhuman actors.

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Reassembling the Problem of the Under-Representation of Girls in IT Courses

Actor-Network Theory and Technology Innovation ◽

10.4018/978-1-60960-197-3.ch014 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 208-222 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Leonie Rowan ◽

Chris Bigum

Keyword(s):

Information Technology ◽

Developing Countries ◽

Data Collection ◽

Network Theory ◽

Research Council ◽

Actor Network Theory ◽

Actor Network ◽

Australian Research Council ◽

The Subject ◽

Key Questions

The percentages of girls in developing countries undertaking information technology subjects in the post-compulsory years of education has remained persistently low: often under 25%. This is despite the fact that this particular phenomenon has been the subject of sustained international enquiry for at least three decades. This article investigates data collected during an Australian Research Council Linkage Grant project (2005-2007) that aimed to identify some of the contemporary reasons for this under-representation in Australian schools. The original phases of data collection proceeded from the belief that there was a clear and agreed understanding that the low numbers of girls was a problem worthy of analysis. As the project evolved, however, significant differences between the researchers’ perception of the underrepresentation and the participants’ views about the same issue. In this paper we make use of actor-network theory to ask key questions about the extent to which the enrolment of girls in IT is indeed ‘a problem’.

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STRUCTURING A SUCCESSFUL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER PROCESS: A CASE STUDY FROM THE PERSPECTIVES OF ACTOR NETWORK THEORY

Journal of Information and Communication Technology ◽

10.32890/jict.9.2010.8097 ◽

2010 ◽

Author(s):

Huda Ibrahim ◽

Hasmiah Kasimin

Keyword(s):

Information Technology ◽

Technology Transfer ◽

Transfer Process ◽

Network Theory ◽

Actor Network Theory ◽

Developed Countries ◽

Local Market ◽

Private Company ◽

Actor Network ◽

Technology Transfer Process

An effi cient and effective information technology transfer from developed countries to Malaysia is an important issue as a prerequisite to support the ICT needs of the country to become not only a ICT user but also a ICT producer. One of the factors that infl uences successful information technology transfer is managing the process of how technology transfer occurs in one environment. It involves managing interaction between all parties concerned which requires an organized strategy and action toward accomplishing technology transfer objective in an integrated and effective mode. Using a conceptual framework based on the Actor Network Theory (ANT), this paper will analyse a successful information technology transfer process at a private company which is also a supplier of information technology (IT) products to the local market. This framework will explain how the company has come up with a successful technology transfer in a local environment. Our study shows that the company had given interest to its relationships with all the parties involved in the transfer process. The technology transfer programme and the strategy formulated take into account the characteristics of technology and all those involved.

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The Action of Christian Buildings on their Chinese Environment

Studies in World Christianity ◽

10.3366/swc.2017.0179 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 23 (2) ◽

pp. 100-121

Author(s):

Michel Chambon

Keyword(s):

Network Theory ◽

Actor Network Theory ◽

Active Part ◽

Architectural Style ◽

Actor Network

This article explores the ways in which Christians are building churches in contemporary Nanping, China. At first glance, their architectural style appears simply neo-Gothic, but these buildings indeed enact a rich web of significances that acts upon local Christians and beyond. Building on Actor-Network Theory and exploring the multiple ties in which they are embedded, I argue that these buildings are agents acting in their own right, which take an active part in the process of making the presence of the Christian God tangible.

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Actor-Network Theory and Social Practice

Социологические исследования ◽

10.31857/s013216250009372-2 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 128-137

Author(s):

Irina Orlova ◽

Keyword(s):

Network Theory ◽

Social Practice ◽

Actor Network Theory ◽

Actor Network

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The model of an intelligent information security control system for supply chains based on the spatial concepts of the actor-network theory

Informatization and communication ◽

10.34219/2078-8320-2020-11-5-94-106 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 ◽

pp. 94-106

Author(s):

Y.M. Iskanderov ◽

◽

M.D. Pautov

Keyword(s):

Control System ◽

Information Security ◽

Supply Chains ◽

Network Theory ◽

Actor Network Theory ◽

Spatial Concepts ◽

Actor Network ◽

Information Security Management System ◽

Security Control ◽

Intelligent Information

Aim. The use of modern information technologies makes it possible to achieve a qualitatively new level of control in supply chains. In these conditions, ensuring information security is the most important task. The article shows the possibilities of applying the spatial concepts of the actor-network theory in the interests of forming a relevant intelligent information security management system for supply chains. Materials and methods. The article discusses a new approach based on the provisions of the actor-network theory, which makes it possible to form the structure of an intelligent information security control system for supply chains, consisting of three main functional blocks: technical, psychological and administrative. The incoming information security threats and the relevant system responses generated through the interaction of the system blocks were considered as enacting the three Law’s spaces: the space of regions, the space of networks and the space of fl uids. Results. It is shown that the stability of this system in the space of networks is a necessary condition for its successful functioning in the space of regions, and its resilience in the space of fl uids gained through the dynamic knowledge formation helps overcome the adverse effects of the fl uidity. The problems of the intentional / unintentional nature of information security threats, as well as the reactivity / proactivity of the corresponding responses of the intelligent information security management system for supply chains are investigated. Conclusions. The proposed approach showed the possibility of using such an interdisciplinary tool in the fi eld of information security as the concepts of the actor-network theory. The intelligent information security control system built on its basis ensures that almost all the features of solving information security problems in supply chains are taken into account.

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